Exclusive: Stoke City may "have to sell" £4.3m star this summer | OneFootball

Lee Hendrie believes the Potters may struggle to keep hold of the midfielder beyond this season.

Stoke City may struggle to keep hold of their best players during the summer transfer window following an extremely disappointing 2024/25 campaign.

The Potters currently find themselves in a relegation battle towards the bottom of the Championship table, with just one point separating them from the drop zone as things stand during the international break.

Mark Robins was appointed manager of Stoke at the beginning of the year, but he has only managed to oversee three league victories since his arrival, so there is a real danger that the club could end up in the third tier for the first time since 2002.

Given the struggles that Stoke have faced this season, their key players are unlikely to be content with the way things have gone, which could result in other clubs making approaches to sign them this summer.

Lee Hendrie fires Wouter Burger warning to Stoke

Sky Sports pundit, Lee Hendrie, spoke exclusively to Football League World about Stoke's best players potentially wanting to leave the club at the end of the season, and named Wouter Burger as one man who may be keen on a departure.

"Wouter Burger is one player who has been linked with a move away from Stoke City," Hendrie said.

"I think he is such a very, very good player, and this is the problem for clubs that have decent players in their team, but are probably not showing enough potential as a club.

"That is what Stoke have been like this season. They have been so inconsistent, but he has been a player that you would probably look at, in a squad that has not been anywhere near where it should be, as one of the players who has been a bit of a shining light.

"It would not surprise me, especially if Stoke do go down, as is the case with a lot of clubs when they are not promoted or if they get relegated, and they have big players or key players there, you do feel that the time will come for them to move on.

"They will probably have to sell the likes of Burger."

It would be no surprise if Burger left Stoke in the summer, especially considering that he came close to sealing a move away at the end of January.

The 24-year-old reportedly came close to joining Danish side FC Midtjylland on the last day of the winter transfer window. However, despite the deal being at an advanced stage, Stoke's hierarchy blocked the move because they would not have had enough time to bring in a suitable replacement.

Burger has since revealed that he was "a little bit disappointed" after the move fell through, but he has not let that impact his performances for Stoke, and he will no doubt be a key player for the Potters as they look to preserve their Championship status between now and the end of the season.

There is every chance that Burger will leave Stoke this summer regardless of which division they are in, but if they are still a Championship club, the Potters will hope to at least recoup the reported £4.3 million they spent to sign him from FC Basel in 2023.