Stoke City manager Mark Hughes has revealed that he remains hopeful of signing Liverpool winger Oussama Assaidi on a permanent deal.
The 25-year-old Moroccan spent last season on loan at the Britannia Stadium.
Stoke chief executive Tony Scholes recently claimed that a move for Assaidi was unlikely following negotiations with Liverpool, but Hughes is optimistic that a deal can still be done.
"We are where we are on that one," the Welshman told The Sentinel. "Ideally, if we can do something then, yes, we will.
"He's someone we know and someone we know can have an impact so, yes, we would like to see if something can be done with Ossie but obviously he isn't our player and that means the ball is in Liverpool's court."
Assaidi scored five goals in 25 games for Stoke during the 2013-14 campaign.
