A Stoke delegation flew to Barcelona on Wednesday to hold discussions with Quique Sanchez Flores about the vacant manager’s job.
Flores has overtaken Martin O'Neill as the club’s preferred choice but the Espanyol boss has a decision to make over leaving Spain.
Espanyol face Levante in the Copa Del Rey on Thursday night and only after the game will Flores make a call on his future, with Stoke keen to have Mark Hughes’s successor in place without further delay.
The 52-year-old is thought to be interested in a return to England, where he enjoyed one season at Watford before being dismissed in May 2016.