Gibson set to be offered Burnley exit route
Burnley outcast Ben Gibson is reportedly set to be offered the chance to get his career back on track in the MLS.
Gibson signed for Burnley for a joint club-record £15million fee from Middlesbrough in the summer of 2018.
The defender penned a four-year contract with the Clarets and was handed his debut in the Europa League third qualifying round second leg tie with Istanbul Basaksehir.
His spell with the Lancashire club got off to a rocky start as he was shown a red card in his second outing, a 3-1 defeat to Olympiacos.
A Premier League debut finally came in December 2018 and Gibson scored, however, Burnley fell to a 5-1 defeat against Everton.
That proved to be his only Premier League outing of the 2018-19 campaign and he finished the term with just five appearances across all competitions.
Opportunities have been hard to come by once again for Gibson in 2019-20, turning out just once in a 3-1 loss to Sunderland in the Carabao Cup in August.
It’s understood that Watford made an approach to sign Gibson in January but Burnley refused to let him link up with their Premier League rivals.
After the conclusion of the winter window, Sean Dyche confirmed the centre-back was training with Middlesbrough to maintain his fitness levels.
Gibson’s future at Turf Moor looks bleak and it’s unlikely he will be wearing the Claret and Blue in 2020-21, although Dyche has refused to rule out a return.
Reports suggest he could even be on the move before the European transfer window opens with several MLS clubs expressing an interest in his services.
Ben Gibson attracting interest from America amid a possible move to Major League Soccer. Has been training at Middlesbrough following his fall-out with Burnley.
— Graeme Bailey (@GraemeBailey) March 19, 2020
MLS teams are free to sign players until May 5 while there is a secondary window between July 7 and August 5.
The report states that Los Angeles Galaxy are the leading contenders to do a deal, although it’s not yet clear if clubs will continue to do business due to the break in football across the globe.
The ongoing coronavirus outbreak has brought a huge amount of uncertainty to the world of football.