Exclusive: Stoke City looking to cut ties with 21-year-old | OneFootball

Stoke City are actively looking to move Thibaud Verlinden out of the club with a host of Belgian sides interested in signing him, sources have told Football League World.

Verlinden has been with Stoke since 2015, but the 21-year-old’s game time has never truly been consistent at the bet365 Stadium and sources have told Football League World that there’s interest from Belgium this month as the Potters look to move him on.

The midfielder’s chances of first-team football whilst Stoke were in the Premier League were, understandably, limited. However, since relegation in 2018, he’s been unable to nail down any sort of regular game time.

2018/19 saw him make five appearances in the Championship, but just two of those came in the starting line-up.

The following season Stoke moved the midfielder out on loan into League One, with Verlinden moving to Bolton Wanderers, where he scored three goals in 15 league appearances.

That prompted Stoke into a recall in January. However, he failed to start another game that season and suffered a serious knee ligament injury.

Verlinden has made just one Championship appearance this season for Stoke, stepping off the bench in a goalless draw with Queens Park Rangers back in December.

Now we are at a point where Stoke are actively looking to move the midfielder out of the club, as Michael O’Neill shapes his squad for a push for the Championship play-offs.

Quiz: The top 16 Stoke City record player departures – Which club did they join though?