Burnley come to an agreement with Antwerp for Benson

The 25-year-old was left out of Mark van Bommel’s side against Zulte Waregem on Sunday evening, and appeared to say his goodbyes to his teammates and the crowd, who gave him a standing ovation and loud “Benny” chants.

Burnley were thought to have made an offer of €4m including add ons, for a player Antwerp paid Genk €3m for in 2019, and were believed to be holding out for a fee of around €5m.

There were important details to be ironed out as regards the structure of the deal, with ball in Antwerp’s court as regards Burnley’s offer – which was a final offer.

And like with Anderlect keeper Bart Verbruggen, if a deal could not be reached, the Clarets were prepared to turn their attentions to other targets.

But both parties are now happy with the details of the deal, with Benson set to sign a four-year contract with the Clarets.

The left-footed Benson would effectively be a replacement for Dwight McNeil, who joined Everton last week.

The Belgium Under 21 international has been likened to Gareth Bale, given his lightning pace and an eye for the spectacular, with the player linked with Inter Milan, Lyon and Marseille in recent years.