Stoke City midfielder Badou Ndiaye is close to securing a move away from the Potters and head back to Turkey to join newly promoted Fatih Karagumruk, according to the Stoke Sentinel.

Ndiaye has found himself well down the pecking order at the Bet365 Stadium and does not appear to be in the plans of Michael O’Neill as he looks to get the Potters challenging for promotion – and the 29-year-old had spent time away on loan with both Trabzonspor and Galatasaray during the last two campaigns.

The midfielder is still under contract at Stoke until 2022, but he has managed to make just a handful of appearances for the Potters since he arrived at the club in 2018 for around £14 million – and Ndiaye had been linked with a move to Besiktas earlier in the transfer window.

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It is now thought that Ndiaye will be heading back out to Turkey for the season having informed the Potters he does not want to remain at the Bet365 Stadium this term, with the midfielder set to make the move to Fatih Karagumruk as they look to consolidate themselves back in the Turkish top flight.

The verdict

It is little surprise to see that Ndiaye is close to securing another move away from Stoke, with the midfielder clearly not in the plans of O’Neill and therefore keen to make sure he makes a move to a side where he can be guaranteed game time over the course of the campaign.

The 29-year-old’s move to Stoke has proved to be an expensive transfer mistake by the Potters, with the midfielder tied down to a contract until 2022 and therefore very difficult to shift on a permanent basis, which is why he has been loaned out during the last two campaigns.

Ndiaye has undoubtedly quality and it is a shame he has not been able to settle at Stoke, with the midfielder having shown fleeting glimpses of his ability during his time at the club, but the Potters are needing players around the squad who are fully committed and ready to help them build on last term under O’Neill.