Premier League Burnley have failed with a £4.5 million bid for Stoke City defender Nathan Collins, as reported by the Burnley Express.
It seems after years of interest Sean Dyche’s Clarets have moved on from Nottingham Forest’s Joe Worrall in favour of another highly rated centre-half who has caught the eye with his class and commitment at Championship level.
The Sun (24 January, page 59) reports Burnley have identified Collins as the number one candidate to eventually replace contract rebel James Tarkowski at Turf Moor.
The Stoke stopper, who also has admirers at Crystal Palace and Arsenal, is valued in the region of £10 million.
So it should be no surprise to learn a bid of just £4.5 million has been laughed out of the door.
Collins recently became the youngest captain in Stoke’s 158-year history and has played a major role at the heart of a team that kept more clean sheets (23) than any other side in England’s top five leagues in 2020.
“It’s refreshing because he’s not your typical young modern-day footballer,” Stoke teammate James McClean once said of the 19-year-old, in quotes reported by Pundit Arena.
“He’s got that old-school mentality. He’s not flash and brash. He’s focused on how he’s perceived as a footballer, not how he’s perceived on social media and things like that.
“He’s level-headed and he’s taken it all in his stride. He’s very composed on and off the pitch, which is a nice trait to have.”
All these comments paint a picture of a talented, tenacious and mature teenager who sounds every inch a Sean Dyche footballer.
If Burnley are serious about getting a deal done before Monday’s deadline, however, they have no choice but to double that £4.5 million bid – at least.
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