Joe Worrall is still a target for Burnley but the Premier League outfit will not entertain the idea of a bidding war with West Ham United for the Nottingham Forest defender, as reported by LancsLive.
Are Burnley unable or simply unwilling to go toe-to-toe with the Hammers?
Despite being taken over by ambitious American investors, Sean Dyche is still spending his summer sifting through the bargain bin in search of intelligent, cut-price signings.
So far, the Clarets have snapped up just two players – two centre-halves, to be precise; Nathan Collins from Stoke City and Jacob Bedeau on a free transfer.
With Burnley looking to strengthen at the other end of the pitch – Lyon’s Maxwel Cornet and Barcelona’s Martin Braithwaite are among those to be linked in recent weeks – is there any room left for another defensive powerhouse?
With James Tarkowski expected to see out the final year of his contract at Turf Moor, it looks like Dyche will have to make do with Ben Mee, Kevin Long and the highly-rated Collins.
Is Joe Worrall heading to West Ham, not Burnley or Brentford?
Worrall has been a Burnley target since late-2017 but, according to reports, the Lancashire-based outfit will bow gracefully out of the race should Premier League rivals West Ham or Brentford step up their pursuit of the one-time Rangers loanee.
With Brentford closing in on Celtic’s Kristoffer Ajer, the smart money should be on Worrall becoming a West Ham player before the end of August.
David Moyes is looking for a Fabian Balbuena replacement and the Hammers boss needs all the depth he can get, with a gruelling Europa League sojourn set to test the limits of a rather tight-knit squad.
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