Stoke are exploring the possibility of sacking Saido Berahino amid the fallout from his drink-driving case.
The club have decided to weigh up the drastic action after being deeply angered by his latest indiscretion.
Industry experts think such a decision would be difficult to enact but Stoke want to find out if Berahino's behaviour counts as gross misconduct.
BERAHINO STATS
CLUB CAREER
West Brom (2011-16): 121 games (36 goals)
Northampton (2011, loan): 15 (6)
Brentford (2012, loan): 8 (4)
Peterborough (2012, loan): 10 (2)
Stoke (2016-): 56 (5)
Total: 211 (53)
INTERNATIONAL CAREER
England U16-20 (2009-14): 36 (14)
England U21 (2013-15): 11 (10)
Burundi (2018-): 4 (1)
The striker's contract runs until 2022, which equates to more than £6million in total, and there is a belief the club would not get close to that figure in a transfer fee, so making him a free agent would represent business sense.