Stoke City have reportedly accepted a bid of £3m for Jon Walters from Burnley. Walters will now undergo a medical with the Clarets in the upcoming days to complete a move.
The 33-year-old has been with the club since 2010 after signing from Ipswich Town in a paltry £2.75m deal. He has gone on to establish himself as an esteemed part of the Potters lineup racking up 62 goals for them. He is currently the highest scorer for Stoke in the Premier League.
The Clarets’ saw their earlier derogatory “six-figure” bid rejected but made an improved offer which proved to be enough for Stoke to part ways with one of their longest servants at the BET365 Stadium.
The Irish international now is expected to finalise the other details of the deal and would be very eager to be a part of the Irish contingent at the Turf Moor that already has the likes of Robbie Brady, Jeff Hendrick, Stephen Ward and Kevin Long.
Walters made a mammoth 271 appearances for the club but started just 13 games last term which forced him to rethink on his future which resulted in his move. Keeping in view of the World Cup in 2018, Walters would be very keen to join a club where he can get adequate game time to prepare himself for the World Cup.
Walters has been a prolific part of the Republic of Ireland squad. His late goal against Austria last month helped the team to stay afloat in the contention for football’s biggest stage and his move to the Turf Moor will help him heavily in sharpening his combination with the other Irish players present in the team.
Walters could be Sean Dyche’s second signing of this summer as the Clarets have reportedly secured the services of Charlie Taylor from Leeds United. The left-back has signed a four-year contract with the Clarets and the fee is to be decided by a tribunal.
Despite having a number of forwards, Burnley struggled last term as they were the least scoring teams barring the relegated sides. Walter will be bringing a plethora of experience to the Clarets and Dyche would be looking forward to working with him.
Apart from his attacking ability, Walter has been a kind of leader on the pitch who could influence other players to get the best out of them. So Burnley are going to have an all-round player and it remains to be seen how Dyche prefers to use him.
