Bristol City handed Antoine Semenyo boost by Burnley after bid to sign Ghana striker

Bristol City's hopes of keeping Antoine Semenyo this January may have been inadvertently handed a huge boost by Westerlo striker Lyle Foster.

The Ghana striker has been linked with a move away from Ashton Gate over the last 12 months, and in the last week there has been three bids reported for the 22-year-old. Bournemouth had two bids rejected for him last Thursday, starting at £8m and later £10m, but the Robins board held firm in their negotiations.

Bournemouth are on the hunt for reinforcements that could be the difference in securing Premier League survival while Burnley want to get where the Cherries are at. The Clarets are top of the Championship and hold a five-point lead over Sheffield United with just under half the season to go.

Nigel Pearson revealed in his press conference last Friday that there had also been a bid from Burnley and that they had gone through the right channels when making their bid, with the Lancashire club contacting club CEO Richard Gould. Bristol City's position is that they do not need to sell their best players but would not stand in the way if their valuation was met and the player wanted to leave.

However, with news that Bournemouth have moved on after being turned down twice, Vincent Kompany's men have seemingly also looked elsewhere after being rebuffed.

According to The Athletic, Burnley are closing in on the signing of Lyle Foster from Belgian club Westerlo. The deal is reportedly at an advanced stage and personal terms are close to being agreed with the South African forward set to undergo a medical at Turf Moor shortly. The 22-year-old was reportedly their top transfer target, and now they have seemingly got their man as they continue their push for promotion.

Foster has eight goals in 21 matches in the Belgian top-flight this campaign after joining them on a permanent basis following a loan move last season from Portuguese side Vitoria de Guimaraes. Kompany will have managed against him during his time as Anderlecht manager.

News of Burnley's move for Foster has perhaps signalled that they have moved on from Semenyo, who could have been a back-up target had their bid to sign Foster not paid off. Foster is joining Burnley for a reported £7m, meanwhile City rejected a bid of £10 m from Bournemouth for Semenyo so the Clarets will have needed to have paid more for a player that may not have been their first choice.