Burnley midfielder Scott Arfield is gathering interest from a number of Major League Soccer clubs. According to recent reports, a pair of Canadian teams which include Vancouver Whitecaps and Montreal Impact are interested in securing his services and are lining up a move for the Clarets midfielder making him a ‘designated player’ for the 2018 campaign.
Arfield is the only Canadian player in the Premier League and the Canadian duo are eager to make a swoop for his services as he will become a free agent at the end of the current season. His current contract at Turf Moor will run out in the summer and the 29-year-old has so far not agreed to a new deal with the Clarets. It is believed that West Ham United were monitoring his situation during the January transfer window along with a whole host of other Premier League clubs.
The Hammers manager David Moyes was interested in the player during his spell at Sunderland but now faces competition from the MLS duo if he wants to sign him without a fee next summer. Arfield chose to play for Canada over Scotland after spending his youth career in Scotland, where he was born, and having him on home soil would be an enormous coup for both Vancouver or Montreal.
Burnley are currently sitting in 7th place in the Premier League table, with only a point separating them from Leicester City, who occupies the 8th spot. The Lancashire outfit are eight points behind Arsenal, who are in 6th place. The departure of Arfield could leave Sean Dyche’s side significantly depleted ahead of the new campaign. His work-rate and versatility is something that has been an asset for the Clarets this season in their remarkable rise to the top half of the Premier League standings under manager Sean Dyche.
With his contract running out in the summer, Dyche should do everything in his power to retain his services as he still has a good few years left in him to play at the top tier of English football. Arfield has made 20 appearances for Burnley this term, scoring 2 goals and providing one assist in all competitions.
Arfield has been with the Clarets for five seasons and was relegated with them in 2016 before helping them get promoted again. However, the lure of being among the highest-earners at both Vancouver or Montreal, if he decides to make a switch to the MLS, is something that Arfield might find difficult to turn down. Only time will tell what lies ahead in the future of Arfield and whether he ends up moving to the MLS in the near future.
