Could a former Blackburn Rovers favourite join bitter rivals Burnley this month? Sean Dyche’s Premier League outfit reportedly want Steven Nzonzi.
Burnley are the latest Premier League club to express an interest in bringing £26 million Roma outcast Steven Nzonzi back to England, according to the Mail.
At the age of 31, a World Cup winner could be set for a return to British shores. And where better for the former Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City star to rebuild his reputation than at Turf Moor?
Nzonzi almost perfectly embodies the transition between Sean Dyche’s aggressive, pragmatic Burnley and the more technical style he has tried to introduce in recent years.
Standing at 6ft 5ins, the France international is a fearsome physical specimen but he is also a gifted operator with the ball at his feet. No one completed more passes in La Liga during the 2016/17 season, and that includes Sergio Busquets, Luka Modric, Andres Iniesta and co.
The Mail reports that Burnley are keen to bring Nzonzi to Turf Moor until the end of the season. With the experienced enforcer out of favour at Roma, and suspended from first-team duties on loan at Galatasaray, this is surely an option he will be happy to consider, despite his allegiance to bitter Lancashire rivals Blackburn.
The report adds that West Ham are interested too while Nzonzi has also been linked with Aston Villa. Dean Smith’s side do appear to be out of the race, however, after landing Danny Drinkwater from Chelsea.
Villa’s focus now remains on signing a striker before Friday’s transfer deadline.
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