Stoke City have had a bid in the region of £5.5m accepted for AFC Bournemouth striker Sam Surridge, according to Sky Sports journalist Mark McAdam.

The 23-year-old is due to have his medical this evening after agreeing personal terms with the Potters and all being well, this signing could potentially be announced within the next couple of days.

Surridge recorded four goals and two assists in 29 Championship appearances last term but with talisman Dominic Solanke likely to keep him out of the starting 11, Michael O'Neill's Stoke City side have swooped in and submitted a seven-figure bid the Cherries have found too hard to resist.

The Potters have been on the search for a striker this summer with Benik Afobe leaving on a loan deal to Millwall and Sam Vokes, who failed to make an impression at the bet365 Stadium since his arrival in Staffordshire, moving on to third-tier side Wycombe Wanderers for an undisclosed fee.

This has left 34-year-old Steven Fletcher as one of O'Neill's only options up top for the Potters heading into the new season but he may have company soon if Surridge can pass his medical, with the 23-year-old likely to be the Potters' long-term striking option even after Fletcher's departure.

For Bournemouth, this is likely to provide a much-welcomed cash injection at the Vitality Stadium, with several areas including their goalkeeping department to address ahead of their Championship opener against West Brom on Friday.

And after this likely sale, they may feel they need another forward to push Dominic Solanke for his starting spot on the south coast, with another Cherries goalscorer in Arnaut Danjuma also likely to move on this summer.

The Verdict:

Stoke City spending this amount of money is a shock. Although they aren't in as much of a mess as Reading and Derby County are right now with their respective transfer embargoes, their wild spending spree in 2018 looked to hamper them for several years, even during this summer.

But with the likes of James McClean and Tom Ince both tipped to follow Sam Vokes out the door, both of whom are likely to be big earners, they must feel they have the resources and financial fair play leeway to make this deal happen.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and embargoes galore across the second, third and fourth tiers of English football, it's unlikely you'll see many deals of this size go through between now and the end of the window in the EFL.

But it's certainly a promising signing and a problematic area they have needed to address for the past few months, so if they can get this deal over the line, it would be a good addition and a major morale boost going into the league season.