As Nathan Jones looks to rebuild his squad ahead of the summer, Stoke City are said to be closing in on the signing of Wigan Athletic star Nick Powell.

The 25-year old has been an influential player for the Latics over the last few years, with his 15 goals in 45 games helping them clinch promotion from League One last season.

The attacking midfielder has quickly established himself as one of the best players in the lower half of the Championship as well, helping Paul Cook's side avoid an immediate relegation back down to the third tier.

But, with his contract set to expire at the DW Stadium, Stoke now look set to win the race for Powell on a free transfer, which will send shockwaves throughout the division.

If Powell were to come in, then he would join a plethora of talented midfielders at the club, with Sam Clucas' position potentially under threat.

Here, we take a look at whether the 28-year old should be worried about his place in the starting XI should Powell come in...

 

Clucas one of many high-profile signings made by Gary Rowett last season, arriving from Swansea City for a reported fee of £6million.

But the midfielder has since failed to live up to expectations since his move to Staffordshire - the versatile midfielder has scored just three goals and produced four assists.

Making just 1 key pass and completing 0.9 shots per game, Stoke fans will have been hoping for more attacking output from Clucas, who has accrued a pass success rate of 77.6% from 26 appearances.

In 32 appearances this season, Powell has been much more influential for a lower-ranked team - the attacking midfielder has scored eight goals and produced six assists this term.

Those strikes have come from an average of 2.6 shots per game, and the playmaker has accrued a pass success rate of 65.2% which is just a bit lower than Clucas'.

At Luton Town, Jones liked to use a number 10 behind two strikers, and Powell's statistics suggest that he can make much more of an impact than his potential teammate in Clucas going forward...