Reports from Turkey suggest that Wout Weghorst is set to sign a permanent contract with Manchester United.
The 30-year-old Weghorst emerged as a prime target for Erik ten Hag yesterday as the Dutchman wishes to add a physical center forward to his squad.
The 6-foot-6 striker is currently on loan at Süper Lig club Beşiktaş from Burnley, following the Clarets’ relegation from the Premier League last season.
As there is no buyout clause in Weghorst’s loan deal at Beşiktaş, the proposed deal is complicated, something the club’s CEO Ceyhun Kazancı has already made clear.
Given that United were only able to make loan moves this January due to alleged overspending in the summer (in reality, the Glazer family have never invested in the club and have ultimately dried up available finances completely), this situation becomes even more more difficult to solve.
Turkish media outlet Fotospor claims that United are willing to appease Beşiktaş by offering Burnley a permanent transfer fee for Weghorst and donating a percentage to his adopted club.
The report says United will pay Burnley around €11.5m for Weghorst’s permanent services, 35% of which Burnley will award to Beşiktaş as compensation.
This repair package of approximately 4 million euros would please Kazancı. The general manager was defiant against any such contract termination being carried out easily, stating after Beşiktaş’s most recent match against Kasımpaşa:
“[If] Burnley told us: ‘We signed this team for Weghorst. We will give you half the fee.
“For example, it could also be a different condition, but then we’ll sit down and talk.”
Fotospor also claims that Beşiktaş head coach Şenol Güneş will not try to block the move.
For United to change their January strategy mid-window by offering a (somewhat) substantial fee for Weghorst is rather unusual.
But given Ten Hag’s desperation for a striker, and Weghorst offering a different kind of option going forward if United want to buy a young centre-forward next summer, a permanent transfer is not beyond possibility.
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