Stoke City midfielder Badou N'Diaye could be set to join Trabzonspor on a 18-month loan deal, according to reports from Sabah via the Stoke Sentinel.

The Senegalese midfielder signed for Stoke from Galatasaray in January 2018, but spent the whole of last season back on loan with the Turkish side after the Potters were relegated from the Premier League.

But despite being reintroduced to the first-team and becoming a key player under Nathan Jones, the 29-year-old has started just one Championship match under Michael O'Neill.

N'Diaye has been heavily linked with a move to Trabzonspor in recent times, with Football Insider claiming that the midfielder is set to join them on a loan deal until the end of the season, with the club having the option to make the move permanent in the summer.

But now, reports from Turkey claim that N'Diaye could be set to join Trabzonspor on loan for 18 months, until the end of the 2020/21 campaign.

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N'Diaye is claimed to have said that he wants a "new challenge" in an "environment" that he knows, as he looks to complete a move away from the bet365 Stadium.

Stoke lost 2-1 to Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium on Friday night - O'Neill's side sit 23rd in the Sky Bet Championship table, two points adrift of safety.

The Verdict

This is a really strange piece of news.

I don't think I have ever seen a player leave a club on loan for that amount of time, and it makes you wonder why they don't want to get rid of him permanently.

Plenty of high-profile departures are expected next month, and it's a shame as N'Diaye is a quality player on his day.