Wycombe Wanderers are set to sign for Burton Albion attacker Beryly Lubala on a free transfer, according to Paul O’Rourke of Football Insider.
Beryly Lubala’s contract expired at the Brewers three days ago, and another League One side have already moved to try and wrap a deal up for him.
There is no agreement as of yet, but the report states that the Chairboys are poised to land a deal for the winger. The player has a market value of £170,000, according to Transfermarkt.
Lubala took to X to thank the Brewers after leaving, declaring within the post that he had a desire to remain at the club, but it wasn’t to be. This comes after the manager Martin Paterson announced the player had refused to play before his contract expired against Cambridge United on Saturday while speaking to BBC Sport Derby.
“I had two meetings with the player on Thursday, both meetings I had both my assistants in the meeting, so I had one meeting with Gary Mills, one meeting with John Dreyer, and the player expressed his wishes not to play the game today.”
The former Birmingham City player made 26 appearances this season for his side, scoring six goals and contributing to three assists within that time. He has had previous spells at Crawley Town, Colchester United and Northampton Town since leaving St Andrews in July of 2019.
Wycombe currently sit 19th in the League One table, eight points above the drop zone, and just one point behind Burton with a game in hand. Lubala recently scored against his proposed new club in a 1-1 draw, which ended up being his last 90 minutes for the team.
The striker has scored more goals from open play than anyone in the Chairboys squad with five goals. He will be fighting for a spot in the starting 11 with former Burnley striker Sam Vokes, who has scored four goals this campaign.
Brewers manager Paterson also revealed during his interview that the club had offered the player a 70% increase in his deal before his contract expired, but the player turned it down despite informing the club previously that he wanted to stay.
Writer’s View
Lubala is a talented footballer and will add some real class and quality to a Wycombe side who are fighting for survival. Burton fans will be disappointed about the circumstances surrounding his departure, and it’s unlikely the player will receive a welcome reception upon return to the Pirelli Stadium.
The Brewers however will feel they’ve signed a suitable replacement for the outgoing forward in the shape of Manchester United loanee Joe Hugill.
