Burnley are reportedly interested in signing Aberdeen striker Luis ‘Duk’ Lopes in the summer transfer window and his arrival at Turf Moor could see Vincent Kompany ditch Wout Weghorst for good.
Could Burnley sign Duk this summer?
It was reported by transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano last month that Burnley are interested in signing the Cape Verde international following their promotion back to the top flight.
Kompany will be keen to add attacking reinforcements to try and keep the Clarets in the Premier League and after a sensational first season in Scotland, Duk could be a promising option, having only joined Aberdeen on a free transfer last summer, with Benfica still holding 50% of the player’s transfer value.
Transfermarkt values the striker at just €1m (£870k) but given that he is contracted at Pittodrie until 2025, Burnley could be forced to pay significantly more if they want to bring the 23-year-old to Lancashire in the summer.
Would Duk be a good signing?
Duk’s performances in the Scottish Premiership so far this campaign certainly suggest that he could be a quality addition at Turf Moor, as Kompany seeks replacements for loanee Nathan Tella and departed club legend, Ashley Barnes.
In 35 league appearances, the frontman hit 16 goals and two assists with a strong 6.99 rating from WhoScored for his performances, with only Tella contributing to more goals and four players earning higher ratings in Burnley’s squad this season.
The striker’s former coach Joao Tralhao isn’t surprised by his impact at Aberdeen, given that he starred alongside Atletico Madrid’s Joao Felix and Celtic’s Jota in the youth team at Benfica.
He said: “He is powerful, aggressive, strong and he works hard to press. He also has an amazing instinct to score goals and you could see that with every year he progressed.
“He has a real instinct for goal that is his top quality. He just scores goals, with his right foot, left foot, chest, head or every part of his body. He has scored a few acrobatic goals for Aberdeen and trust me that is not usual. That is just Duk.”
Duk’s physical and goalscoring attributes suggest he could be a dangerous target man for Kompany to have in his squad for next season, which could make Burnley flop Wout Weghorst surplus to requirements at Turf Moor.
After failing to have the desired impact in 2021/22 as Burnley suffered relegation, scoring just twice in 20 Premier League outings, the Netherlands international was sent out on loan to Besiktas and Manchester United and now looks unlikely to have a future with the Clarets.
Therefore, Burnley should definitely be looking to bring in the Portuguese-born forward this summer, especially if it allows Weghorst to be moved on permanently.
