MARK Hughes says reports Stoke have had a £7m bid for Burnley defender Michael Keane rejected are untrue, but insists the Potters, still yet to make a signing in the January transfer window, are "actively looking" for new players.

When asked about the Keane story, Hughes said: "I'm not quite sure where that's come from. My understanding is that is not true."

He then had other names being linked with Stoke - Southampton's Shane Long, West Brom's Saido Berahino and Porto's Giannelli Imbula - put to him, and said: "All good players, all at good clubs, and the clubs they are at will probably feel they want to keep them there.

"It is inappropriate for me to talk about individual players, other than to say we're in the market for good players.

"We are actively looking. We think there are opportunities if everything falls into place, but there are a lot of factors.

"We never get too ahead of ourselves because we know the potential pitfalls of the transfer process. We just have to be patient. If it happens, we'll be delighted. If we have to bide our time until the summer, so be it."