According to Sky Sports, Stoke City are in advanced talks over a £15m deal to sign Galatasaray midfielder Badou Ndiaye, who was also a summer target for Premier League rivals West Ham United when he was still with Osmanlispor.

Sky Sports says that the Turkish giants are willing to let the 27-year-old leave for the right price, although the goalposts have already been changed on many occasions during negotiations.

The report adds that the Potters are keen to agree the transfer as quickly as possible, as they are aware that they will need to begin work permit proceedings soon in order to get a deal for the Senegal international across the line before the January transfer window slams shut.

Meanwhile, the Irons were beaten 2-0 by League One outfit Wigan Athletic in the fourth round of the FA Cup at the DW Stadium on Saturday, and manager David Moyes' need for new players before the end of the month may have increased after midfielder Pedro Obiang was stretchered off with a serious injury.

The centre of the park certainly looks to be an area that requires strengthening before Wednesday, and bringing Ndiaye to the London Stadium could prove to be a shrewd move.

Here are three reasons West Ham must hijack Stoke's bid to sign the Senegalese star…

They need a midfielder

Rumours suggested that David Moyes was keen to add another midfielder to his squad even after Joao Mario signed from Inter Milan on Friday, and the injury blow for Pedro Obiang at the DW Stadium means it could be an urgent priority before the January window slams shut on Wednesday.

While the east London outfit have been linked with the likes of Jonjo Shelvey and Leander Dendoncker this month, Ndiaye would certainly be more of a like-for-like replacement for the Spaniard in the centre of the park.

The fact that Galatasaray are looking to sell the 27-year-old could prove to be an opportunity that Moyes finds difficult to ignore.

His qualities

Football Soccer - Steaua Bucharest v Osmanlispor - UEFA Europa League group stage - Group L - National Arena, Bucharest, Romania  - 24/11/2016 Badou Ndiaye of Osmanlispor celebrates scoring a goal. Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea/via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. ROMANIA OUT.

According to WhoScored.com, Ndiaye's main strengths are his dribbling and his tackling ability, while he also has a passing accuracy of 87.6% in 17 Super Lig matches for Galatasaray this season.

The 27-year-old has won 50 of the 89 tackles he has made, while he has shown his quality on the ball by successfully completing 30 of the 42 dribbles he has attempted.

The Senegal international has also proven he can be a threat in the final third too with previous club Osmanlispor, for whom he scored 18 goals in 75 matches.

Price tag

With clubs knowing that West Ham could be looking to replace Obiang in the last few remaining days of the January transfer windows, they – in England especially – could look to raise their prices if the Irons come calling for one of their midfield players before Wednesday.

However, Galatasaray seem willing to sell Ndiaye just six months after they signed him, and if the east London outfit could bring the 27-year-old Senegal international to the London Stadium for around £15m they would probably be delighted – especially as he should be entering the prime years of his career.

Do you agree, Irons fans? Let us know below.