Burnley have joined Aston Villa in the race to sign Stoke City midfielder Glenn Whelan.
According to a report in The Sun, Aston Villa’s hopes of signing Stoke midfielder Glenn Whelan have been dealt a significant blow with Burnley joining the race for his signature.
The Sun reports that Villa want to sign the 33-year-old as Steve Bruce continues to try and add some additional experience to his squad ahead of their second consecutive season in the Championship, following the acquisition of John Terry.
Stoke City’s Glenn Whelan in action
However, it appears that the Villans may have a big task on their hands if they hope to convince Whelan to make the switch to Villa Park, with The Sun suggesting that the second tier side do not want to pay a fee for the Republic of Ireland international.
Meanwhile, The Sun adds that Whelan would prefer to stay in the Premier League, which would surely put Burnley in the driving seat to win the race with Sean Dyche’s men gearing up for another year at the highest level.
The Sun reports that Whelan has been earmarked by Dyche as a replacement for Joey Barton at Turf Moor. And it could certainly be argued that with Burnley lacking depth in the middle of the park, he may actually have a better chance of enjoying first-team football with the Clarets than with Villa if the current squads stay similar to what they currently are.
But with plenty of time for the squads to change before the window shuts, perhaps it would be complacent for Burnley to assume that Whelan’s desire to stay in the top flight puts them on the verge of a deal.
Burnley have joined Villa in the running
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