Stoke have made a formal approach to the Irish FA and are ready to pay the £650,000 compensation figure included in the new contract Michael O'Neill signed in February 2018 to bring him to the Potteries.
Stoke are on the look out for a new manager after sacking Nathan Jones on November 1 after just nine months in charge, with the club rooted to the bottom of the Championship table.
The Potters parted company with Jones last week after a poor start to the Championship season that has left them fighting a relegation battle and want Clarke to be the man to take over.
Preston reacted angrily to widespread reports that Neil was Stoke's favoured choice and that he was ready to take on the challenge of resurrecting the Championship's bottom placed club.
Alex Neil is the man Stoke City want as their next manager following the dismissal of Nathan Jones on Friday. The Potters currently find themselves in the relegation zone following a poor start.
EXCLUSIVE: Stoke City HAVE FIRED manager Nathan Jones, after the club slipped to second bottom of the Championship following a dismal run of results.
Millwall have appointed former Stoke City and Derby County boss Gary Rowett as their new manager, following the deaprture of Neil Harris earlier this month.
The former England Under-21 international was due to appear at Willesden Magistrates' Court in north west London on Tuesday morning to answer the charge, but never turned up.
Stoke have endured a woeful start to the Championship season under Nathan Jones and are rooted to the bottom of the table with just two points from 10 matches.
Stoke could ask Tony Pulis to return for a third spell in charge of the Championship club if they sack Nathan Jones, according to The Sun.
Stoke manager Nathan Jones admits is he is running out of time after a dismal start to the season in the Championship.
Saido Berahino has expressed his disappointment at Glen Johnson's comments and questioned why he never confronted him during their time together at Stoke.
IAN WHITTELL AT THE BET365 STADIUM: Nathan Jones edged ever closer to the exit door at struggling Stoke with yet another helping hand from his goalkeeper Jack Butland.
PETER CROUCH: On the opening day of last season, when Tottenham headed to Newcastle with a dark cloud hanging over, I made a firm prediction. Mauricio Pochettino was the reason for that call.
Stoke boss Nathan Jones admitted his much-changed side were 'nowhere good enough' after they crashed out of the Carabao Cup to League Two Crawley.
ON THE ROAD: Paul takes a quick glance at his watch and lets out a heavy sigh. 'A season or two ago, this place would have been rammed by now,' he says.
Former Liverpool and England footballer Michael Owen has admitted he was staring 'into an abyss called divorce' as he struggled to come to terms with life after he hung up his boots.
Michael Owen has revealed he has not spoken to Alan Shearer since their Twitter spat concerning comments made in Owen's autobiography.
Stoke City are facing a legal fight after failing to pay a mandated agent when they signed their former striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting.
JASON MELLOR AT ELLAND ROAD: Danny Batth put Stoke into the lead before Sam Vokes doubled their advantage during the first-half of the second round clash at Elland Road.
Nathan Jones admitted he could lose his job if he fails to arrest Stoke's alarming slump. A classy display by Leeds kept them top of the Championship and piled more pressure on the beleagured Jones.
IAN WHITTELL AT DEEPDALE: Stoke manager Nathan Jones accused England keeper Jack Butland of having his head turned by talks of a move away from Stoke.
JANINE SELF AT THE BET365 STADIUM: An emotional outburst from Stoke manager Nathan Jones promises a Monday morning from hell when the players next gather for training.
EXCLUSIVE BY ADRIAN KAJUMBA: Jack Butland is ready to quit English football and move to Europe in the next fortnight to save his England career ahead of Euro 2020 next summer.
Sportsmail exclusively revealed on Thursday how Stoke had been forced to abandon plans to sack Berahino following his drink driving conviction earlier this year.
Glen Johnson has ripped into his former Stoke team-mate Saido Berahino. Johnson played with Berahino between 2017 and 2018 before the former Liverpool defender retired.
Tottenham defender Cameron Carter-Vickers is heading to Stoke City on loan. The 21-year-old USA international has had interest from Wigan, Bristol City and Leeds.
Montreal Impact signed Spanish free agent forward Bojan Krkic on a deal through to the end of the 2020 season on Wednesday. He left Stoke City by mutual consent on Tuesday.
EXCLUSIVE: The Potters appeared set on terminating the former England Under-21 star's contract without severance money amid the fall-out over his drink driving case earlier this year.
Aston Villa striker Scott Hogan is in talks to join Championship side Stoke City on a season-long loan. He featured for Villa in pre-season but finds himself down the pecking order at the club.
The 21-year-old defender harbours ambitions for a regular first-team spot at Old Trafford, rendering a loan switch to the Championship side very unlikely.
SPORTS AGENDA BY MIKE KEEGAN: A clue about Harry Maguire's £80million move to Manchester United actually surfaced a week ago.
INTERVIEW: Johnson's career really took off when he signed for Chelsea from London rivals West Ham back in 2003 as Roman Abramovich ushered in a bold new era at Stamford Bridge.
Jonathan Walters poked fun at his former team-mates as he posed with Peter Crouch drinking beers in Portugal. Walters, who last player for Burnley, retired in March.
Many teams are hopeful they can make a push for promotion to the Premier League this term, but some have been busier than others in the transfer market. Sportsmail looks at the 10 biggest deals.
The 31-year-old centre-back sustained the injury in a friendly against Leicester at the weekend. He has undergone surgery, but Jones refused to put a date on the defender's potential return.
Stoke City are waiting to find out the severity of an ankle injury sustained by captain Ryan Shawcross in Saturday's pre-season friendly against Leicester.
EXCLUSIVE BY SAMI MOKBEL: Saido Berahino will play for Nimes in their pre season game against Toulouse today while he waits for his Stoke departure to be finalised.
WARNING - GRAPHIC CONTENT: During the first half of the pre-season fixture, Stoke captain Ryan Shawcross went to clear the ball on the byline under pressure from Marc Albrighton.
Stoke City midfielder Bojan Krkic, 28, is to leave the club by mutual consent. The Spaniard has attracted interest from clubs in France, Spain and the MLS.
The 46-year-old ex-professional will amicably depart the Bet365 Stadium when the summer transfer window slams shut next month. Stoke are then expected to appoint a chief scout.
Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe is keen on England goalkeeper Jack Butland as he searches for a new No 1 after losing faith with Asmir Begovic and Artur Boruc.
Reading have completed a one-year deal for free agent midfielder Charlie Adam. The 33-year-old was released by Stoke City at the end of the season and was training with Blackburn.
Stoke striker Saido Berahino has been charged with being drunk in charge of a motor vehicle, police said. The 25-year-old was detained in London's West End on Monday.
Jonathan Kodjia came to Aston Villa's rescue to salvage a point in a 2-2 Sky Bet Championship home draw with Stoke. Stoke twice took the lead before being pegged back by their opponents.
Morocco's King Mohammed VI built the Royal Mansour as a luxury oasis that would showcase the very best of the country's rich history and beauty
The three teams occupying the Premier League's bottom three places have been warned that relegation could be imposed on them if they continue to obstruct plans to resume the season.
The Premier League's bottom three - Norwich City, Aston Villa and Bournemouth - have been warned that relegation could be imposed on them if they object to Project Restart plans.
EXCLUSIVE: Norwich, Aston Villa and Bournemouth have been warned that their best chance of staying up is to vote to restart the season and win games to get out of trouble.
Dier claimed he had left the pitch and entered the stands, clambering over rows of seats in an attempt to protect his brother who he noticed had become involved in an argument with an angry fan.