Burnley failed to seal a deal late in the transfer window for Iraq-born defender Ameen Al-Dakhil because his current club Sint-Truiden moved the goalposts on a potential deal for the youngster, Sacha Tavolieri has reported.
Tavolieri first revealed last week that the Clarets were closing in on a deal for the 20-year-old, with Vincent Kompany aiming to strengthen his defence once more before the summer transfer window slammed shut on September 1.
Having failed to acquire Metz centre-back Boubacar Kouyate, attentions turned to Al-Dakhil, a Belgian youth international who appeared 22 times in the Jupiler Pro League last season for both Standard Liege and then Sint-Truiden when he moved there in January 2022.
The Lancashire outfit offered €4 million for the Belgium youth international, per Tavolieri, and with Truiden wanting €1 million more for Al-Dakhil's services, the two clubs were never that far apart.
However, just as Burnley were closing in on the defender, Sint-Truiden 'complicated the deal' after Vincent Kompany's side had already agreed personal terms with the player, so they moved on and acquired Borussia Mönchengladbach's Jordan Beyer on loan instead.
The Verdict
Whilst Al-Dakhil could be an exciting prospect, it may have perhaps been a blessing in disguise that the move did not go through.
The defender does not have much senior experience and Burnley were set to pay a significant fee based on potential, and that is something the Clarets already have with Luke McNally needing to be developed following his arrival this summer.
Sint-Truiden's messing about forced Vincent Kompany to move on, and in the form of Beyer he may have brought in someone who is more suited to slotting straight in to the back-line.
Beyer has played 33 times for Mönchengladbach in the Bundesliga, which is a far higher quality of league than Belgium's top flight, and a lot of those outings came last season.
Therefore, Beyer should be perfectly capable of forming a strong partnership with Taylor Harwood-Bellis at the back this season, and Al-Dakhil is someone that can potentially be looked at next summer if Kompany is still keen.