West Bromwich Albion midfielder Romaine Sawyers could be heading for an exit from The Hawthorns this summer.

What's the talk?

According to a number of recent reports, as relayed by the Express and Star, Stoke City are thought to be keeping a very close eye on the situation of the 29-year-old ahead of a potential move in the summer transfer window.

It is reported that Michael O'Neill is keen to bring in further additions to his Potters side in the coming weeks, having already made four signings this summer, with his focus now falling upon the Albion midfielder.

Finally, it is mentioned that the Saint Kitts and Nevis international was left out of Valerien Ismael's matchday squad for the Baggies' season opener against Bournemouth last Friday, something that would appear to suggest Sawyers could well be heading for a move away from the club in the not too distant future.

Fans will be buzzing

While it is indeed true that West Brom are currently short of options in the middle of the park, with Sawyers being one of three players capable of operating naturally from central midfield in Valerien Ismael's first-team squad, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that, should Stoke submit a reasonable offer for the 29-year-old, the Frenchman should cash in on the midfielder this summer.

Indeed, over his 19 Premier League appearances for Albion last season, the £1.8m-rated man scored no goals, provided no assists and created just one big chance for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 0.2 shots and making a mere 0.3 key passes per game.

The £10k-per-week Sawyers also lost possession of the ball an average of 8.1 times per match, in addition to making one error that led to a shot and two errors that led to a goal, with SofaScore listing one of the player's weaknesses as his error proneness.

These metrics saw the man Jake Livermore dubbed a "top player" earn a highly disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.47, ranking him as Albion's joint-worst performer in the top flight of English football.

As such, despite the fact that Ismael is so thin on the ground in central midfield, if Stoke were to submit a bid anywhere near Sawyers current £1.8m Transfermarkt valuation, it would highly advisable that the 49-year-old snatches O'Neill's hand off. Albion fans will be buzzing to get the disapointing midfielder out of their club.

In other news: Steve Madeley reveals major West Brom transfer development, Ismael will be buzzing