Hughes optimistic Stoke can complete new Arnautovic contract

Marko Arnautovic could be the next Stoke City player to agree to a long-term deal after Bojan Krkic put pen to paper on a four-year contract.

The 26-year-old has been the focus of extension talks following the first half of the season, when he scored seven goals in 23 appearances.

Manager Mark Hughes explained that securing the winger with a new deal might be made easier if Stoke's management team agrees to meet Arnautovic's agent in Austria.

"They can't just drop everything and come over within an hour," Hughes told reporters ahead of Stoke's encounter with Bournemouth on Saturday. "It takes planning. That's why it's probably taking longer than it should.

"There's further meetings scheduled. It's ongoing. It's a process you have to go through and it's a bit difficult when they're not based in the U.K."

Arnautovic's current contract isn't set to expire until 2017, but his inspiring play thus far has led the Austrian international to threaten he'll leave if he's not offered a lucrative contract. A recent report suggested he could leave the Britannia Stadium for a transfer fee worth £12.5 million during the summer.