Wout Weghorst: Man Utd deal to sign Burnley striker on loan edges closer after Besiktas stay terminated | Transfer Centre News

Netherlands striker Wout Weghorst is travelling to Manchester United to finalise his loan move from Burnley after ending his Besiktas stay.

The 30-year-old had been on loan at the Turkish club but has decided to move to Old Trafford until the end of the season.

Sources in Turkey have told Sky Sports News that Weghorst visited the Besiktas offices on Thursday morning to sign papers to terminate his loan agreement at the club.

Weghorst will now travel to Manchester to complete a loan move to United after a deal was agreed in principle on Wednesday.

Manchester United will pay a loan fee and cover the player’s wages. It is thought the total package is in the region of £4m.

If all goes to plan, it is hoped Weghorst will train with the team before the weekend with United aiming to have him registered by midday on Friday to have him available for Saturday’s Manchester derby.

United manager Erik ten Hag has been searching for a striker replacement since Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract was mutually terminated during the World Cup after his explosive interview on Talk TV.

It is no secret United want to sign a No 9 and Weghorst would represent an option they have not got in the squad – a physical presence as well as a strong scoring record at club and international level.

The 6ft 6in striker has nine goals in 18 games for Besiktas this season and scored what proved to be the winner in Saturday’s 2-1 Super Lig victory over Kasimpasa. After he scored, Weghorst appeared to wave an emotional goodbye to the club’s fans.

United were in the market for a player of Weghorst’s profile in the summer and were interested in Sasa Kalajdzic and Benjamin Sesko.

Why do Man Utd want Weghorst?

United are desperate to sign a striker on loan during the January window after severing ties with Cristiano Ronaldo during the World Cup following the player’s explosive interview with Piers Morgan in which he criticised the club and manager Erik ten Hag.

The striker scored twice for the Netherlands in the World Cup quarter-finals against eventual winners Argentina, with the second arguably being one of the most dramatic goals in the competition’s history – levelling the scores from an inventive free-kick pass to send the game into extra-time.

The former Wolfsburg star has hit the ground running in Turkey, netting eight goals and registering four assists in 16 league games.

Those figures are a stark contrast to his returns in the Premier League with Burnley last term, when he netted only two goals in 20 games – but his broader play during that period provides clues to Ten Hag’s current interest in the player.

The graphic below shows every shot and chance created by Weghorst at Burnley last term and reveals he fired shots on target only nine times from 25 attempts across his 20 appearances – equating to an eight-per-cent conversion rate or 728 minutes per goal.

Ten Hag: Martial cannot manage load – we need another striker

Speaking on Friday, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag said he needs to bring in attacking cover for Marcus Rashford with Anthony Martial struggling to manage the load.

Martial had a disrupted pre-season, and has been unable to complete 90 minutes this term as a result of an injury-interrupted campaign.

“There is a reason [Martial has been substituted in his last seven games]. It is because he cannot manage the load,” Ten Hag said. “This is why we are looking for another striker.

“It is not about us not relying on him. His physical load is not, at this moment, so high that he can play, every third day, a game of 90 minutes. So I have to manage that together with him.

“We are on a thin line at the moment because the qualities of Anthony Martial are so important right now to our game. His movements, his ball security, the pressing, let’s not forget that. We need that profile to be a threat.

“Also, Marcus Rashford benefits from that. So I am not concerned that only Marcus is scoring goals, because I am convinced the other players [can score too].

“Not only Anthony Martial, but Antony scored [in the 3-1 FA Cup win against Everton]. Bruno Fernandes is also very capable of scoring, Christian Eriksen will create and is also capable of scoring goals. So we have more players who can score goals.”

Follow the January transfer window with Sky Sports

Who will be on the move this winter? The January transfer window opened on Sunday January 1, 2023 and closes at 11pm on Tuesday January 31, 2023.

Keep up-to-date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports’ digital platforms. You can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News.