Vincent Kompany’s side wants Tella, but the two parties appear to be having trouble coming to an agreement.
The 24-year-old was a key player for the Clarets last season as they managed to secure promotion back to the Premier
League at the first time of asking.
Last summer, the winger was deemed temporarily surplus to requirements and allowed to join the Lancashire outfit on loan
but since then, the Saints have been relegated and have seen the player recording 19 goals and five assists in 45 appearances
for Vincent Kompany’s side.
Proving his worth at Turf Moor, he now seems to be part of Russell Martin’s plans with Tella participating in the Saints’ pre-
season.
How long does Nathan Tella have left on his Southampton contract?
His contract doesn’t expire for another two years yet and they could prove to be both a blessing and a curse for Burnley.
Although this may be the best window to sell him for the Saints, something they could potentially be open to which would be
good news for the Clarets, the relegated side have the license to demand a sizeable amount for him.
Kompany’s side should have a decent amount to spend this summer following their sales last summer and their recent
promotion to the top flight.
However, they have already paid fees for Jordan Beyer, Dara O’Shea and Michael Obafemi and need to ensure that they can
bring in all the players they need within their current budget.
With this in mind, spending a massive fee on one player just doesn’t seem viable despite their promotion.
What are Burnley doing now?
According to Witcoop, the Clarets are taking a look at Nathan Redmond as a cheap alternative to Tella.
Redmond is a free agent after leaving Turkish top-tier side Besiktas, but could still be an asset in the English top tier
considering the amount of experience he has at the top level.
Although they have Johann Berg Gudmundsson, Manuel Benson, Anass Zaroury and Darko Churlinov as wing options
already, Gudmundsson may be required to operate in a more central position at times and Churlinov’s future is uncertain at
this point.
With this in mind and Tella’s departure, they need a winger to come in.
How much should Burnley be looking to pay for Nathan Tella?
The Clarets should be open to the possibility of forking out an eight-figure fee for Tella but that depends on some factors.
Firstly, do they have the budget to strengthen other areas if they bring in Tella for more than £10m?
They still need to bring in a left-back, another striker and could also benefit from having more depth in the middle of the
park.
It also remains to be seen whether they want to bring in a new goalkeeper, so there’s plenty they need to do even if Tella does
come in.
And that’s why spending £10m-£15m on Tella may not be viable, but considering how valuable he was last season and the
fact he’s only likely to improve in the coming years, a £10m bid should certainly be placed and then the Clarets can try and
find a compromise after that.
They can’t afford to blow the remainder of their budget just on Tella though – and certainly not without a sale or two.
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