Austria Wien are interested in signing Stoke City defender Kevin Wimmer on loan, according to the Stoke Sentinel.

Wimmer joined Stoke from Tottenham Hotspur in 2017, joining the Potters for a reported fee of £18m, but he has since failed to live up to expectations.

Following Stoke's relegation from the Premier League in his first season at the bet365 Stadium, Wimmer spent last season on loan with Hannover 96 in Germany.

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This season, the 27-year-old has plied his trade over in Belgium for Royal Excel Mouscron, making 17 appearances across all competitions as they finished 10th in the Belgian First Division A.

Wimmer is now back in Staffordshire following his loan spell in Belgium, but with his future under Michael O'Neill looking uncertain, the centre-half is attracting interest once again.

The Stoke Sentinel understands that Wimmer is wanted by Wien on loan ahead of next season, with his contract at Stoke not set to expire until 2022.

A move back to home country Austria could be a great move for Wimmer on a personal level, with Stoke's Championship status not yet secured by any means.

The Potters lost 3-0 to Wigan Athletic on Tuesday night, meaning they now sit 22nd in the Championship with both Huddersfield and Hull set to play this week.

The Verdict

I don't see how another loan move would benefit neither Wimmer nor Stoke.

It's clear that he isn't going to play under O'Neill having completely failed to make an impression so far, and with another two years still left on his deal, they should look to sell him and get some kind of fee for him.

Wimmer should be desperate to move away for good and start afresh, but a loan move means that he's always tied down by Stoke, which doesn't make sense to me.