Stoke City manager Mark Hughes is supremely confident that Peter Crouch will sign a new deal with the club.
The 33-year old centre-forward is out of contract at the end of the season and although he is likely to emerge as a target for a number of top flight clubs, Hughes believes he may opt to extend his stay at the Britannia Stadium.
"We spoke briefly. I think Peter is one of those players who is quite unique in what he offers, so you can see the attraction that other clubs maybe have in terms of bringing him to them," said Hughes.
"We value Peter and we would certainly like him to stay if we can come to some agreement because he does give us a different type of threat and one that opponents find really difficult to cope with.
"We are hopeful there will be some common ground and that we'll be able to progress.
"It's still very early in discussions to be honest and Peter is in quite a strong position in terms of going into the last year of his contract.
"But I sense he is really happy here, and that he enjoys the work he gets and playing with the players he has around him.
"All those things will be taken into account I'm sure when a decision is made."
Crouch joined Stoke from Tottenham in 2011 and has since scored 34 goals in 125 appearances for the Staffordshire outfit.
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