Town and Championship rivals Stoke City have been watching Sparta Rotterdam striker Rahamat Mustapha, according to reports in the Dutch press. The 23-year-old Ghanaian-born former Holland U20 international is out of contract at the end of the season.

Mustapha, known as 'Riga', has scored 19 goals in 23 games in the second tier of Dutch football this season, having previously netted just five goals in 71 appearances with Sparta, Vitesse and RBC Roosendaal in six seasons in the top two divisions in Holland.

The frontman joined Sparta in 2003 from Vitesse where he had been since 1998/99, having spent 2001/02 on loan at Roosendaal. Mustapha played for Holland at the FIFA U20 World Youth Championships in Argentina during 2001.

Stoke are claimed to be the frontrunners for the Accra-born striker's signature come the summer.

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