Stoke City chief Tony Scholes says they're prepared to lose new signing Mame Biram Diouf midseason for the African Cup of Nations.
Diouf is expected to make the Senegal squad for the tournament.
Scholes said: "The African Cup comes into our thoughts when we look to make signings.
"The key with Diouf is that he signed a four-year deal. If you were loaning a player for a year it would be a big part of your consideration, but for four years then less so.
"We want to make sure we've got a squad good enough to compete throughout the year."
