Football League World
·1 July 2022
Football League World
·1 July 2022
Burnley are making progress and expect to complete transfer deals for Standard Liege duo Jackson Muleka and Samuel Bastien next week, according to The Athletic.
The Clarets have stepped up their aggressiveness in the transfer market in the last week ahead of their return to the Championship, with Scott Twine being the first through the door at Turf Moor following his 20 goal, 13 assist season for MK Dons in League One.
Luke McNally has also arrived from the third tier, but now new manager Vincent Kompany is set to raid the Belgian Pro League, having only just departed from one of their top clubs in Anderlecht.
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Muleka, a striker, started a medical on Thursday ahead of his switch to Lancashire and is also waiting on his visa being accepted before he can complete a move, which is reported to be costing Burnley around €4 million along with added bonuses.
The 22-year-old, who is a DR Congo international, had a prolific spell at Turkish top flight side Kasimpasa last season, scoring 12 times in 14 appearances after being sent out on loan by Liege during the January transfer window.
25-year-old Bastien is also a full international for the DR Congo, with the central midfielder playing 28 times in Belgium’s top division this past season – an €800,000 fee is said to have been agreed to bring him to Lancashire.
The Verdict
Gone are the days of Sean Dyche where for the most part it was experience that was brought in – instead, the Clarets are investing in younger players with a greater capability to potentially make profit in the future.
There was always a chance that Kompany was going to head back to Belgium to raid the league he managed in for some players, and that’s exactly what he is doing.
Central midfield and up-front are two positions that definitely needed a player or two adding to the squad, with both Muleka and Bastien bringing international experience to the table and in the former’s case – lots of goals.