Burnley are lining up a move for Bosnia international Jozo Simunovic. Some sources are claiming that the Clarets are planning to make a £8m offer for the Celtic defender. It is being reported that the Scottish champions are stepping up their chase to land the Dundee defender Jack Hendry which can pave the way for Burnley to make a swoop for Simunovic. Brendan Rodgers reckons that it will be busy transfer window for the Hoops with several players going out as well as coming into the Glaswegian club.
Simunovic is a highly rated defender that Rodgers fancies but his recent injury concerns have made his appearances limited for Celtic in recent games with Burnley waiting to offer him a route to the Premier League. The Clarets boss Sean Dyche already tried to recruit him in the summer for £10m but Celtic refused to do business in the midst of their Champions League qualifiers.
Now the Premier League club is set to go back with another offer in the region of £8m for the 23-year-old but also have a fallback option in the form of Nottingham Forrest’s £12m-rated centre-back, Joe Worrall.
Burnley has made a terrific start to the season under manager Sean Dyche and currently find themselves in 7th place in the Premier League table. They have only conceded 19 goals in 22 league matches and can boast the fourth best defensive record in the top tier of English football. Simunovic also plays for a club who have dominated the Scottish Premiership with their defensive prowess and has conceded just 15 goals in 22 league games. One of the main reasons for their success defensively has been due to Simunovic’s contribution in the Celtic backline.
The defender has made 19 appearances for the reigning Scottish champions in all competitions this season. He will be an ideal fit for Sean Dyche’s men as they look to break into the top 6 of the Premier League going into the second half of the season. The Clarets can boast one of the best defensive partnerships in the Premier League with Ben Mee and James Tarkowski in such great form in Sean Dyche’s back four. However, an injury to either one of them could see them get exposed at the back and the addition of a quality centre-back in January could go a long way towards addressing that issue.
It remains to be seen whether Burnley are successful in their efforts to land the Celtic defender this month.
