Union Berlin monitoring Burnley’s rising star

Arijanet Muric, the goalkeeper for Burnley, is apparently interested in joining Union Berlin during the January transfer window, which might provide him an opportunity to play Champions League games.

The 24-year-old joined the Clarets in the summer of 2022 after leaving Premier League winners Manchester City, and he rapidly established himself as a mainstay for Vincent Kompany’s team in the Championship.

As the starting goalie, Muric played a key role in Burnley’s run to the second-tier title. In 41 league appearances, he kept 17 clean sheets, helping the Turf Moor team finish ahead of Sheffield United, who came in second.

The Kosovo international, who spent several loan periods at Girona, Willem II, and Adana Demirspor before moving to Lancashire from the Etihad Stadium, has made 43 appearances for the Clarets since then.

Union Berlin is reportedly keeping an eye on Muric’s circumstances with Burnley, and the Bundesliga team may be about to make a play for the keeper soon, according to Sky Deutschland.

According to the source, the German team is reportedly considering making a move for the 24-year-old in the January transfer window; if successful, the goalkeeper might play in the 2024 Champions League knockout stages.

Although the agreement makes no mention of a purchase commitment, it is anticipated that Urs Fischer’s team would be trying to sign Muric for a loan period with the option to buy at the end of the 2023–24 campaign.

Union signed some big names during the summer transfer window, including Leonardo Bonucci and Robin Gosens from Juventus and Inter Milan, respectively, after placing fourth in the Bundesliga the previous season and earning their first Champions League ticket.

Muric might be able to participate in UEFA’s elite club competition for the first time in his career with a New Year’s relocation to Germany, but there is no assurance that the Berlin team would advance to the knockout stages.

After losing their first two games in Group C against 13-time champion Real Madrid and Portuguese team Braga, Union is currently third in Group C, three points behind second-placed Napoli, who just won their first Serie A championship this century.

Muric lost his starting position at Turf Moor when James Trafford joined Burnley in the summer, which is somewhat to be expected given that the Clarets paid £19 million for the England Under-21 international.

Muric has not appeared in any of his team’s Premier League games thus far this season. Nevertheless, Kompany has given Muric two starts in the EFL Cup victories against League Two team Salford City and Nottingham Forest, with the top level rookies maintaining a clean sheet in both games.

Playing the entire ninety minutes, Muric remains the team’s best option. On Thursday, Kosovo defeated Andorra 3–0 in a European Championship qualifier.

The Clarets are scheduled to visit Thomas Frank’s Brentford on Saturday in their first game back from the international break. It is generally anticipated that Trafford will continue to start in goal.