The ‘Scottish Gareth Bale’ close to leaving Germany’s ‘most hated club’ for Premier League

The life of a British footballer abroad can’t be easy.

Wherever you go you can’t get proper milk, and when you ask for Weetabix they look at you like a crazed lunatic.

So it’s little surprise Oliver Burke, one of the few Brits abroad, is closing in on a return to England.

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Burke left Nottingham Forest for RB Leipzig, dubbed Germany’s ‘most hated club’ due to their association with Red Bull, in 2016 for around £13million.

But after just one season in the Bundesliga he’s been deemed, in immaculate football speech, ‘surplus to requirements, according to Bild.

Crystal Palace will now reportedly pay a similar fee to the one the 20-year-old left England for.

Keith Campbell - The Sun Glasgow

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Burke, who has five caps for Scotland and has been likened to Gareth Bale due to his engine and seemingly boundless energy, only started five games for Leipzig last season.

But Palace are in desperate need of creativity in attack, with injuries ruling out Wilfried Zaha, Bakary Sako and Connor Wickham at the moment.

Frank de Boer’s first Premier League game in charge of Palace ended in a 3-0 loss at home to newly-promoted Huddersfield.

Reuters

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Burke would be the second permanent arrival at Selhurst Park, following Jairo Riedwald’s move from Ajax.

Even though he’ll be giving up the prospect of Champions League football this season, at least he now gets to train with Jeffrey Schlupp and Lee Chung-yong.

A fair trade, we’re sure you’ll agree.