Wout Weghorst's nightmare spell at Burnley is nearing its end just months after his £12million arrival.
The Dutch striker joined the Clarets on deadline day in the January transfer window. His signing was lauded by the club, with many fans expecting him to comfortably fill the void left by Chris Wood after his move to drop rivals Newcastle.
But Weghorst flattered to deceive. He scored just two goals in 20 Premier League games as Burnley dropped out of the top flight after six years.
Worse was to come when post-season he was involved in an on-field bust-up with Clarets' teammate Connor Roberts during Netherlands' Nations League clash against Wales. And a telling interview given by the 29-year-old, where he said he would not be prepared to drop down to the second tier, effectively put paid to any hopes of rebuilding his bridges in Lancashire.
Now, Weghorst is on the cusp of completing a switch to Besiktas. Reports in Turkey claim it will initially be a loan move with the 16-time champions inserting a £12million option to buy him once the loan expires. He was pictured on social media arriving in Turkey last night ahead of formalising his Burnley exit.
Speaking last month, Weghorst's forthright views following relegation did little to endear him to Clarets' fans. He said: "I won’t go into the Championship – not that I feel too good for it, absolutely not. I am just really ambitious and also for the squad of the national team. The (Netherlands) trainer (Louis Van Gaal) wants us to play at a high level.
"There are some options for me and just a higher potential of a league than the Championship. I have to take the chances offered there. We will see what the future will bring. I didn’t make the move to Burnley believing in the whole concept with the American owners for just a half-year. I could see the bigger picture and I have got the feeling I am not done in the Premier League.
"I spoke with Burnley. I have a really good relationship with the owner (Alan Pace) from the beginning and still do. I was believing in a different kind of thing. I really hope they will return directly to the Premier League."
Whilst Weghorst may still have a future at Burnley, it is of no significance right now to new manager Vincent Kompany. The Belgian was appointed last month tasked with a major revamp of the squad. He has already brought in four new faces, crucially all of whom are 22 or under and therefore bring much-needed youthfulness to what was an ageing squad.
The offloading of Weghorst's salary from the wage bill will help aid Kompany in his ongoing recruitment plans. He is still searching for at least one goalkeeper after Nick Pope's transfer to Newcastle, whilst more additions are required in midfield and up front if the club are to mount a promotion push. They begin the campaign away at last year's beaten play-off finalists Huddersfield on July 29.
