Vincent Kompany all but confirmed that Michael Obafemi is on the brink of joining Burnley from Swansea City.
The Belgian has been an admirer of the Irish forward for some time and is finally poised to sign one of his key January targets after the Clarets agreed a deal with the Swans earlier this week.
The striker has successfully undertaken a medical with the Turf Moor outfit and will move to Lancashire on loan for the remainder of the season, with the deal to be made permanent in the summer.
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While a deal has not yet been officially announced by either club, boss Kompany effectively confirmed the transfer had been finalised when asked about Obafemi's expected arrival following Burnley's FA Cup clash with Ipswich Town.
"It's a fair suggestion," responded the 36-year-old when asked if Obafemi was all but in the building, as quoted by our sister title LancsLive.
He went on to add: "We've got a good team, the squad is balanced, big enough and strong enough. I have to go home and think about it a little bit, see if there are any opportunities."
Meanwhile, Kompany currently expects Ashley Barnes to remain at Burnley beyond Tuesday's 11pm transfer deadline. The 33-year-old's current contract expires in the summer, meaning he will be a free agent. He could well find game time hard to come by in the final months of the season given the Clarets' signing of Lyle Foster combined with the imminent capture of Obafemi.
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Swansea have shown an interest in Barnes given their own desire to add a striker to their ranks this month, although Kompany stated the Clarets are in no rush to trim their squad.
"Yeah we have competition but everybody is on a different timescale, I think we have five players on loan and the worst moment to fill the void is at the start of a season so we have tried to anticipate a little bit and so we have to see the bigger picture," he responded when asked if he expects Barnes and Jay Rodriguez to remain at Burnley until the summer.
"We didn't really have huge needs for this winter and for now but I have been in the game long enough know that by the summer we will be having loads of expectations on the squad and it is better to work with them a little bit earlier. That is why it doesn't matter if the numbers are a little bit bigger."
Luton Town's Harry Cornick and Rotherham United frontman Chiedozie Ogbene are among those who Swansea have explored the option of signing this month.
Hatters boss Rob Edwards refused to be drawn on speculation surrounding Cornick's future, although he fully expects his side to be stronger following the conclusion of the transfer window.
“We’ve got some good players here and there’s always speculation," he said in a press conference, as quoted by The Lutonian. "What’s really important that everyone understands is that we are really ambitious at this club, like I am, and we want to come out of every window in a stronger position and I’m convinced, I know that we’ll do that. But we’ve got good players and there’s always going to be interest in one or two. I think it’s really key, and I knew when I joined this club, that I had to buy into, and I do buy into, how we work and our financial constraints."
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