The talented defender is widely expected to leave St Andrew's this summer in the wake of their relegation from the Premier League and a number of clubs have been linked with his services. Liverpool and Arsenal are both understood to be keen, but Stoke are looking to steal a march on their rivals with skysports.com that the Potters had opened negotiations regarding a possible move. And while Coates confirmed that plans were in place to bolster Tony Pulis' squad this summer, he could not confirm or deny any approach for Dann. He told The Sentinel: "We have our eyes on a number of targets, but we are not going to disclose them. We are trying to work below the radar." Stoke have been handed a tough start to the new Premier League season, with games against Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool, West Brom, Sunderland and Norwich on the agenda. Coates joked: "They look pretty easy games, in fact I have already factored in 15 points. "To be serious, I would always want an easy start, but my experience tells me to just get on with it because you never get what you think you will out of a group of games. "We will just have to make sure we are up and running and give a good account of ourselves."
