Stoke City believe Bojan could have future at club after loan

Stoke City forward Bojan Krkic could be a key player for the club next season as he returns from loan spell at Mainz 05, the Premier League club's chief executive Tony Scholes has said.

The 26-year-old left the bet365 Stadium in January in search of regular first-team football but struggled to find form at Mainz, scoring just once in 11 appearances.

"Bojan will return to us on July 1 and who knows? Bojan might be an absolutely key player for us next year," Scholes told the Stoke Sentinel.

"Bojan, on his day, is as good as there is. He was a really important player for us. Perhaps he had his best days prior to his injury, best days for us that is."

The Spain international was an instant success when he joined Stoke from Barcelona at the start of 2014-15 season but failed to rediscover his scoring touch following a cruciate knee injury in January 2015.

Scholes also said there were no concrete offers for Bojan as well as striker Joselu and defender Philipp Wollscheid, who all spent significant time out on loan last season.

Joselu scored five goals during his season-long spell at Deportivo La Coruna, while Wollscheid failed to make an impact at VfL Wolfsburg.

"On July 1, they return as a Stoke City player. So as things stands, on July 1 Bojan, Philipp and Joselu will all be Stoke City players," Scholes added.

"We keep in touch with all of them, but you are talking about three different individuals with three different positions."