Stoke City midfielder Badou Ndiaye is expected to leave the club in January, but his departure from the Bet365 Stadium could be a permanent deal, rather than a loan - according to the Stoke Sentinel.

The 29-year-old has made 13 appearances for Stoke in the Championship, but he's hardly featured for the club since Michael O'Neill took over as manager last month.

With the January transfer window just around the corner, Ndiaye has been linked with a loan move to Turkish club Trabzonspor, but this latest report states that Stoke would prefer a permanent deal, with the club keen to trim their squad size and wage bill.

The report states that while a loan deal remains a possibility, selling the Senegal international - who joined the Potters from Galatasaray from £14million in January 2018 - is the priority for Stoke.

Ndiaye was an important player for Stoke during the early part of the season under Nathan Jones, but he's made just one start for the club since O'Neill took charge seven games ago and hasn't even made the squad in the last two matches.

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The Verdict

Ndiaye was an important player for Stoke in the early part of the season, but he doesn't appear to be in O'Neill's plans for the rest of the campaign.

Stoke have a lot of players capable of playing in his midfield role and with the club needing to trim their squad and reduce their wage bill, it makes perfect sense for him to leave in January.

The club paid a significant amount of money for him just under two years ago, so you can understand why they would prefer to sell him on a permanent transfer - to recoup some of the £14million they paid for him.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.