IT was minutes after promotion had been sealed with victory over Wigan Athletic, and Danny Ings was speaking to the media on the Turf Moor pitch.

Ings’ joy was obvious, as he admitted that playing in the Premier League was ‘everyone’s dream’.

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After months of speculation over whether he would sign a new contract, did promotion now put Ings in a position to confirm his Clarets future?

Maybe, maybe not, but fans would be curious so it was worth posing the question.

“Will we see you sign a new deal now?” I asked with a smile at the end of the interview.

“Let’s just let me enjoy this!” he laughed, before racing off to celebrate some more with his team-mates.

It was a fair enough response. Even if his future is a subject he has never been particularly keen to talk about, Ings has always been nothing but polite towards the Burnley media entourage.

But it was probably clear at that moment on the Turf Moor pitch that he never would sign a new Burnley deal.

From there it was just a case of whether he could keep Clarets in the Premier League in his final season with the club, then who he would join and for how much.

As it turned out, sadly his 10 goals have not been enough to keep Burnley in the top flight, and it now looks likely that he will sign for Liverpool this summer.

How much Burnley will receive for Ings is still to be decided, most likely by a summer tribunal.

After his winner at Hull, a couple more goals in the final two matches of the season would do no harm to his value, which might have suffered had he finished the season unable to end a lengthy goal drought.

Liverpool looks like the right move for Ings.

He spoke recently about the need to play regularly, wherever he is next year. That seemed to rule out Manchester City, where Scott Sinclair and Adam Johnson became virtually forgotten men.

It made Manchester United look unlikely too, although an Old Trafford source yesterday distanced the club from a move for Ings in any case.

There was the February trip to meet Real Sociedad, but Ings is better served in the Premier League and the Spain visit was conducted so publicly that it always looked like leverage for the move one suspects that he really wanted – to Anfield.

Perhaps it was no coincidence that the only time Sean Dyche felt speculation had affected Ings was immediately after Liverpool made their interest known in late January.

Liverpool are crying out for a striker and Ings could get his chance to stake a claim for a place from the start of next season, with Daniel Sturridge out until September.

There will be pressure, but perhaps not as much as there would have been a year ago after Luis Suarez left. After all, he can’t do any worse than Mario Balotelli.

It is hard to blame Ings for allowing his contract to run down. Given the chance to join a club like Liverpool, most would have done the same.

Hopefully his final Turf Moor appearance will bring a fine send-off.

For all he has done for Burnley, he deserves it.