Stoke City's Badou Ndiaye will complete a move to Trabzonspor on January 3 on an initial loan deal.

That's according to the Sky Sports Transfer Centre (16:17), who claim that the midfielder has already passed a medical and agreed personal terms with the Super Lig outfit, stating that it will be finalised in four days time.

The 29-year-old will join on loan, with Trabzonspor having an option to make the transfer a permanent one in the summer.

In truth, that will be no surprise to Potters fans as it has been apparent for some time now that the struggling Championship side will move the Senegal international on in the New Year.

Ndiaye has failed to feature in the Stoke squad for the past five games under Michael O'Neill, including the defeat to Fulham yesterday.

With the Staffordshire outfit currently outside the relegation zone on goal difference, they have a real fight to secure their safety and the Northern Ireland chief has been tasked with reducing the wage bill.

Once the move has been confirmed, it will be another spell in Turkey for Ndiaye, who has previously played for Osmanlispor and Galatasaray.

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The verdict

This is a move that won't go down well with Stoke fans because he is a good player and considering their position, he should be playing.

However, everyone knows that they need to cut costs and the reality is that Ndiaye will be a big earner and probably wants to leave as well.

So, it's a deal that's to be expected and it's now down to O'Neill to line up a good replacement.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.