This article is part of Football League World's 'The Verdict' series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Stoke City manager Michael O'Neill is planning a last minute move to try and land Aberdeen striker Sam Cosgrove before the January transfer window closes, according to a report by Football Insider, as the Potters look to improve their squad to help push them up the table over the second half of the season.

Cosgrove has had another good season for the SPFL side, with 20 goals in 28 matches in all competitions, but with Derek McInnes' side valuing the 23-year-old at more than £5 million, it could take an offer of £7 million to secure the player, a considerable outlay for the Championship side.

So should Stoke press ahead with a move to land Cosgrove, despite his sizeable valuation?

We discuss.........

Jordan Rushworth

“Cosgrove would be a potentially effective signing for the Potters were they to bring him in before the end of the transfer window, and the striker would arrive full of confidence having been in excellent form for Aberdeen throughout the campaign in Scotland so far.

“However, Stoke have taken steps to trim down the size of their squad and subsequently their wage bill during the transfer window, and therefore £7 million is likely to be way too high an asking price for the Potters to pay to secure the move for Cosgrove.

“Stoke instead might have to turn their attentions to attacking targets that might be more suited to their budget, which would be a shame given the Potters are clearly interested in trying to bring Cosgrove to the Bet365 Stadium as an option to add some extra firepower for them up front.

“O’Neill in an ideal world would probably still make a move for the striker given the quality he has shown he could bring to Stoke, but with the Potters looking to re-balance their books it would be highly unlikely that they would be wanting to spend the sort of money needed to secure his signature at this stage.”

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Ben Lang

"Stoke do already have a significant number of senior strikers at the club, but they should definitely be looking to get Cosgrove in their ranks if they can perhaps offload Scott Hogan or Lee Gregory in the final week of the window.

"Cosgrove possesses an excellent goal-scoring record for Aberdeen this campaign, and Stoke would really benefit from having a player like him in the side who can act as a poacher in the penalty area.

"The fact Cosgrove is still only 23 means this deal would be something of an investment, while the fact Tyrese Campbell has also just signed a new deal at the club suggests Michael O'Neill is really planning for the future in his attacking unit.

"It is true that £7million may seem slightly over the odds for Cosgrove given he is unproven in the Championship, but O'Neill is clearly a big fan of the player and I think the Stoke boss should be trusted given his work at the club so far."

Kris Smith

“Stoke definitely need a striker to come in and provide more goals to help them move away from the relegation zone this season.

“Tyrese Campbell is currently hitting fine form, but beyond that they are having to look for goals from elsewhere and could do with a consistent supply of them.

“Cosgrove is rightly attracting interest after hitting 20 goals in 28 appearances in all competitions, including six in six in the Europa League qualification.

“£7m is a lot to shell out in January for a player who might not hit the ground running, but he presents a very strong option and could push the Potters much closer to where they want to be.”