Burnley are reportedly close to acquiring both Soumaila Coulibaly of Borussia Dortmund and goalkeeper James Trafford of
Manchester City, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Trafford’s efforts for England at the Under-21 European Championships seem to have impressed Clarets manager Vincent
Kompany.
The Young Lions will take against Israel in the competition’s semifinal round. Spain and Ukraine, who eliminated
tournament favorites France, will face off in the other semi-final.
20-year-old Trafford, who made his U21 debut in October, is the top pick for the competition this summer.
Amazingly, he hasn’t let a goal in any of England’s first four games, with the team defeating Portugal, Israel, Germany, and
Czechia along the way.
Additionally, he was able to assist Harvey Elliott in scoring the winning goal against Germany’s U21 team in Group C.
Burnley is interested in signing the 20-year-old, who would presumably take over as their starting goalkeeper for the
upcoming campaign, as the summer transfer window is now open.
Burnley ‘bid £9m’ for Tottenham flop as ‘brilliant’ Championship comeback draws Kompany’s eye in the latest transfer
news.
Arijanet Muric, who the Clarets acquired from Manchester City last summer and made their starting goalkeeper, might be
replaced by another player after a year at Turf Moor.
Burnley are ‘closing in’ on the signing of Trafford, who has yet to play for the European champions’ first squad, claims
transfer analyst Romano.
The youthful shot-stopper will be acquired by the Premier League newcomers for £14 million plus add-ons, which does
suggest he will unseat Muric as the No. 1 goalie.
Trafford, who played for Bolton Wanderers for the past 18 months in League One, is ‘eager on the move’ to Turf Moor.
According to Jack Gaughan, a fellow journalist, Burnley is “looking to tie up” the £19 million signing, while Romano claims
the deal is “almost done.”
The Athletic’s story also claims that City “are likely to include a 20% sell-on clause as well as having the option to buy
Trafford back and the opportunity to match any rival bids if they want to re-sign him in the future.”
Burnley is expected to spend £19 million for Manchester United, breaking their previous high of £12 million for Wout
Weghorst in January 2022.
Bart Verbruggen, who officially joined Brighton on Monday for about £16.3 million, was a target of Kompany’s before.
Romano also claimed that Burnley and the loan signing of Coulibaly from Dortmund were getting closer.
The French center-back earned two first-team appearances for his current club after moving from Paris Saint-Germain to
the Bundesliga squad in July 2021 on a free transfer.
Coulibaly will join on a season-long loan, according to Romano, before a’mandatory buy clause’ for €15 million (£12.8
million) goes into effect the following summer.
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Burnley are battling to try and keep Manchester City’s Taylor Harwood-Bellis at the club next season, but they face competition from a number of Premier League rivals, TEAMtalk understands.
Harwood-Bellis was outstanding for Burnley during their promotion campaign and Vincent Kompany has asked his former
club to sell him the player, or at the very least allow him to re-join on loan for another season.
City are yet to decide whether they want to sell or even loan Harwood-Bellis, but if they do there will be no shortage of offers.
As well as Burnley, there is interest from Premier League rivals Brighton, Wolves, Everton and Fulham.
Harwood-Bellis made 35 appearances for the Calrest last season, scoring once as Kompany’s men secured a Premier
League return.
Meanwhile, Harwood-Bellis’ team-mate Callum Doyle, who spent last season on loan at Coventry, is set to leave this
summer.
The Sky Blues are keen to take him back on loan but their Midlands rivals Leicester are also taking a keen interest in the
player.
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Burnley raise bid to £9m in effort to beat two Prem rivals to Sunderland star Jack Clarke.
Clarets boss Vincent Kompany has made former Tottenham Hotspur and Leeds United attacker Clarke one of his top targets
as he prepares his side for life back in the Premier League.
Clarke, 22, is a target for a number of Premier League clubs following his impressive form for Sunderland last season.
The skilful attacker had over 20 goal contributions for Sunderland last season with 11 goals and 13 assists in all competitions
from his 50 appearances.
Burnley, Crystal Palace and Brentford have all been credited with an interest in Clarke, but it is Kompany’s side
who have firmed up their interest with bids for the player.
Sunderland have rejected two offers from Burnley and now the Clarets have returned with an improved offer in the region
of £9million.
Clarke still has three years to run on his current deal at the Stadium of Light, though TEAMtalk revealed last month
that talks over an extension had stalled. Nevertheless, Sunderland are reluctant to lose the wide man.
Former Leeds star Clarke initially joined Sunderland on loan in January 2022 and made 20 appearances on the way to
helping them secure promotion to the Championship via the League One play-offs.
Sunderland turned his loan move from Tottenham into a permanent deal last summer and the skilful attacker has continued
to flourish under Black Cats boss Tony Mowbray.
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Sources: Burnley burst into race for 22-goal striker as offer prepared for Wolves, Fulham target Viktor Gyokeres
Several clubs are interested in Gyokeres during the summer transfer window, including Sporting Lisbon, Fulham, Wolves,
and Brentford. In fact, TEAMtalk exclusively disclosed on June 19 how Sporting are close to signing him.
However, TEAMtalk has learned that Burnley, a newcomer to the Premier League, are prepared to join the search for the
Swedish international as Clarets manager Vincent Kompany aims to add a dependable striker to his team.
Coventry’s Gyokeres had a standout season last year, scoring 22 goals and dishing out 12 assists as Coventry advanced to the
Championship Play-Off Final. At Wembley, the Sky Blues were defeated by Luton Town on penalties.
Gyokeres, 25, is entering the final year of his contract at Coventry and having missed out on promotion to the top flight his
suitors are hoping to lure him away this summer.
Despite his contract situation Coventry are still holding for a fee in the region of £20million for Gyokeres and that is pricing
out some interested clubs.
Burnley are hoping to tempt Coventry into doing a deal by offering two players plus a fee for Gyokeres, rather than paying
the full asking price for him.
Viktor Gyokeres becomes key target for Burnley
Burnley have bids in for a number of players as they aim to improve the current squad at Turf Moor and Gyokeres is
emerging as a key target for Kompany’s side.
joined Coventry from Brighton in the summer of 2021 after never making a league appearance for the Seagulls during his
two years at the club.
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