Stoke fighting off Burnley bid for £15m-rated defensive star
Burnley have made a fresh bid for Stoke City starlet Nathan Collins, which has been rejected, TEAMtalk understands.
The 20-year-old stopper is one of the most highly-rated young defenders outside of the Premier League. We understand that more than half of the top-flight clubs have made enquiries about the player’s availability this summer.
Collins became a key performer for Stoke over the course of the season, and Burnley made an offer of around £7million in January – which was snubbed.
Since then the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham, Leicester and Brighton have all stepped up their interest and are ready to make offers this off-season.
But Burnley – who insist they are ready to back manager Sean Dyche with funds this summer – have come back with an offer which we understand is around £10million, but Stoke dismissed it quickly.
It is understood that Stoke want a deal worth at least £15million before they entertain allowing Collins to leave the club.
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West Ham told to move for Burnley star
Meanwhile, Gabriel Agbonlahor says that West Ham should make a transfer move for Burnley striker Chris Wood to add a new goal threat.
The Hammers enter the summer transfer window with adding goals a priority. While Michail Antonio has proved himself in recent times, he has an unfortunate record with injury. What’s more, previous signings have not worked out; the club sold record arrival Sebastian Haller for a loss in January.
As a result, previous reports have mentioned Wood as a transfer target for David Moyes’ side.
The New Zealand international hit 12 Premier League goals last season, with the Clarets only scoring 33 overall.
Another claim, meanwhile, said that Aston Villa are ahead of the Hammers for the transfer.
Nevertheless, with Europa League football on the menu for West Ham next term, former forward Agbonlahor thinks that Wood would be a solid back-up option to Antonio.
“Wood’s a very, very good player and wherever he goes, that team is going to get goals out of him,” the pundit told Football Insider.
“Maybe West Ham would be good. They’ve only got Antonio so they need to cover and maybe he could give them a different style of player.
You don’t want the same type of striker on the bench.
“They’ve got the Europa League too, so West Ham probably need two more strikers. Wood would be a good option.”