Ben Gibson looks set to end his Burnley nightmare by securing a season-long loan move to Norwich City.
The Canaries have just been relegated from the Premier League, losing all of their matches after the season restart.
However, having spent next-to-nothing last summer, Norwich have decided to keep faith with manager Daniel Farke and have managed to retain the bulk of their squad. A move for Gibson could be seen as a cost-effective way to strengthening an area of weakness.
LancsLive notes that the deal would include an option to buy Gibson for £8-million, after the loan deal, should Norwich gain promotion back to the Premier League.
Burnley shelled out £15-million on Gibson but the former Middlesbrough captain was rarely afforded many opportunities. He started his first Premier League match in the embarrassing 5-1 defeat against Everton.
Gibson actually scored the only Burnley goal in that Boxing Day horror show but that didn't matter; Sean Dyche hooked him in the second half and he hasn't made another top-flight appearance for the Clarets since.
He came as a man who had been on the cusps of the England national team but that reputation has sadly disappeared over the past few years. The 27-year-old was simply starved of luck.
James Tarkowski and Ben Mee have been a formidable partnership for Dyche. The Burnley manager has shown unwavering support for this duo and Gibson never really stood an opportunity of breaking it apart.
Henceforth, Gibson decided to abandon ship and start training with his old club, Middlesbrough. The move took a lot of criticism from the Burnley fans, however, it is possible that such a drastic change mid-contract was in the best interests of the player's mental health.
Unfortunately, for the luckless Gibson, Mee sustained a lengthy injury upon the seasonal restart. At this point, he had cut himself off from the playing squad and it was Kevin Long who was tasked with filling the void.
Moving forward
Burnley will hope that a loan deal allows Gibson to rediscover himself. The Clarets were resigned to losing their record signing for a significantly reduced fee. His lack of match-action, his desire to leave and the financial impact of the coronavirus would have massively impacted any outgoing transfer fee.
This deal gives Burnley the potential to recoup more of the money that they initially shelled out for him.
Gibson will be an upgrade on Grant Hanley and he will be hoping to cement a regular starting birth. He does face stiff competition from the likes of Ben Godfrey and Christoph Zimmermann, though.