Stoke City goalkeeper Asmir Begovic has revealed that he is excited by the direction the club are heading in under manager Mark Hughes.

Begovic has been repeatedly linked with a move away from the Britannia Stadium due to his form with the Potters last season, and refused to guarantee that a transfer would not interest him, despite declaring himself happy ahead of the new Premier League campaign.

"The plan was always to come back - I won't make promises I can't keep of course, but I'm excited about the plans the club and the manager have. I want to be part of it," the 27-year-old told reporters.

"The signings show the club's vision. Now everyone's back and the season gets going, we'll see what the future holds, but I'm here and I'm excited to be here."

Stoke get their season underway against Aston Villa next Saturday.