Wout Weghorst would appear to be closing in on his dream move to Manchester United, but his potential new team-mates may be wary of his presence in the dressing room.
The striker has emerged as a shock target for the Red Devils, with boss Erik ten Hag searching for attacking reinforcements in the January window. A gap in his squad has emerged following the termination of Cristiano Ronaldo 's contract.
Weghorst is currently on loan at Turkish Super Lig side Besiktas from Championship leaders Burnley. But he appeared to wave goodbye to the club's fans this weekend, in an apparent acknowledgement that he would soon be leaving Istanbul.
If he does move to United, as appears increasingly likely, the current squad may encounter a player who might clash with them. According to The Athletic, Weghorst is 'ultra-competitive' and is not afraid of calling out team-mates he feels are underperforming.
The Dutchman endured a dreadful six months at Burnley following his £12million move to Turf Moor last January. He scored just two goals and the Clarets were relegated from the Premier League.
It is said his poor form left him cutting a 'frustrated figure' around the training ground. And he even clashed with his fellow Burnley players due to his self-confidence, which some at the club are said to have considered as 'arrogance'.
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Weghorst also appeared to clash with one of his Burnley team-mates in public when the Netherlands faced Wales in the Nations League in June. Connor Roberts lined up for the Dragons, with Weghorst featuring for the Dutch.
Weghorst scored the winner for his side in the fourth minute of added time, sending the Netherlands to the top of their group. But as the two sides shook hands after the final whistle, Roberts appeared to have a heated discussion with Weghorst.
The fullback could be seen asking the striker: "Why didn’t you do that for Burnley?” Weghorst walked off before turning around and appearing to snap back: “This isn’t about Burnley, shut up.”
It is still unknown if the interaction was serious, though Weghorst did not appear to take kindly to Roberts' comments. Upon his return to Burnley from international duty a month later, Roberts confirmed he was yet to speak to Weghorst.
Weghorst soon moved to Besiktas on a season-long loan deal, with the striker scoring nine goals in 18 games. It would appear he is now hopeful his time in Turkey is over, though Besiktas sporting director Ceyhun Kazanci insists he does not want to lose the striker.
"I don't understand why Weghorst said goodbye to the fans, why he made such a move. He is our football player right now. Our contract expires at the end of the season," Kazanci told Fanatik.
"If Manchester United or any other team wants Weghorst, they will meet with Burnley anyway. Burnley will then contact us and discuss the terms of separation. If we accept, the contract will be terminated. Otherwise, it will go on until the end of the season.
"He can't just go. There will have to be a reward for us to approve the separation. I'll give an example. Burnley told us, 'We made a deal with this team for Weghorst. We give you half of the transfer fee'. This may be a different condition. Then we'll sit down and talk."
