Championship leaders Burnley have submitted a £4 million bid for Amir Hadziahmetovic but the Bosnia and Herzegovina international is holding out for a move to Turkish Super Lig giants Galatasaray, according to Sporx.
Anyone joining Burnley during the January transfer window is essentially putting pen to paper with a Premier League club.
Barring a collapse that would have been beyond even Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle United, Vincent Kompany’s revamped, remodelled Clarets will be going head-to-head with the Liverpools and Man Citys of the world once again in 2023/24.
With 18 wins out of 28, Burnley are 16 points clear of third-place Watford.
And, if Kompany’s squad wasn’t fearsome enough already, the arrivals of Ameen Al-Dakhil and Sweden international Hjalmar Ekdal add further strength-in-depth at Turf Moor.
According to the Daily Mail, KVC Westerlo striker Lyle Foster is also on his way for around £12 million. Burnley are already the Championship’s top scorers. But 6ft 1ins South African Foster promises to give Kompany an all-new dimension in the final third.
Though the prospect of almost-guaranteed Premier League football is not for everyone, it seems. Konyaspor midfielder Hadziahmetovic, Sporx say, is prioritising Galatasaray over Burnley.
Burnley could miss out on Konyaspor ace Amir Hadziahmetovic
The Championship leaders are offering £4 million. £3 million up front. Galatasaray, meanwhile, are willing to stump up a similar fee while offering a player in exchange, in an attempt to twist Konyaspor’s arm.
“Regarding Amir, we have received offers,” Konyaspor president Fatih Ozgokcen tells Basak of the Denmark-born 25-year-old. “Some of them are from abroad, some from (Turkish) Super League teams.
“We will not sell Amir to any club except for the interests of Konyaspor. We rejected all the offers. Since there is no offer for Amir at the price we have determined, at the moment, his transfer is out of question.”
A silky playmaker and a mean set-piece taker; Hadziahmetovic has a very impressive six goals and four assists this season from a nominally deep-lying role. Given Burnley’s range of midfield options, however, Kompany and co can probably survive without yet another addition.
“I asked (former Konyaspor coach) Ilhan Palut about Hadziahmetovic,” reporter Levent Tuzemen tells Sporx.
“He said; ‘He is a super player. His intelligence is great, his technique is perfect. He (can) play in every big team’.”
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