After a scraping finish to the previous season that saw them stay up, Sean Dyche’s Burnley are now looking to make some progress in the transfer window to help them build on their performances for the next season. They might lose their defensive wall in Michael Keane, who was in tremendous form, but the manager is now looking to take advantage of interests from top clubs, to help improve his side.
The English defender could fetch decent money this summer but Dyche already has players in mind and wants to use Keane to land one of them. According to reports from the Daily Mail, Burnley and Everton are interested in a swap deal for Michael Keane and Irish defender James McCarthy in the upcoming transfer window.
The 26-year old is an experienced midfielder who has more than 100 league appearances for Everton and more than 40 international appearances for the Republic of Ireland. He has been in decent form in the previous season but got to feature in just 12 league games and Ronald Koeman is keen on replacing him this summer.
Everton want around £20m for the midfielder from interested clubs and it is understood that Burnley are ready to accept McCarthy as a part of the deal for their former Manchester United defender.
A central midfielder who loves to sit back and dictate the game, McCarty was mostly used as a part of the midfield three by Koeman, that added a solidity to a fragile backline. Known for his concentration and tackling abilities, the 26-year old is an excellent reader of the game and likes to stay ahead of his opponents to change possession in the middle of the park.
He can pick out his man from long distances and though is not too great in producing defence breaking passes, is more than capable of holding the fort at the back.
Sean Dyche has used an old school 4-4-2 system that sees his side play in a compact manner, giving no space anywhere on the park for their opponents. However, it is hard to see him fit in at the Turf Moor, with Dyche already having plenty of options in this role.
The likes of Jeff Hendrick, Dean Marney, Steven Defour and Ashley Westwood have all done a decent job for the side and it is hard to see McCarthy add a different dimension to their midfield. At 33, Dean Marney might be pushed out of the club but Burnley should look at more established stars and should not look to offload Keane on the cheap this summer.
They should try to pocket as much as they can for their English defender and look elsewhere for first team players who can improve the squad.
