Burnley goalkeepers are in demand ahead of the January transfer window.
Burnley have stockpiled England international goalkeepers of late, and two of them are hugely in demand ahead of the January transfer window.
With Tom Heaton working his way back to fitness and Nick Pope ruled out with a major injury over the summer, boss Sean Dyche pounced to land Joe Hart from Manchester City on a permanent basis.
That surprised many; if it had been on loan, it would have made sense for him to fill in. Yet, by signing him full-time, it became clear that Burnley would, eventually, offload one of their shot-stoppers.
Now, The Express report that Heaton is ‘likely’ to join Aston Villa in January, solving Dean Smith’s goalkeeping problems at Villa Park – but potentially leaving Tottenham frustrated.
That’s because The Mirror claimed last month that Spurs want to bring in Burnley stopper Pope to compete with Hugo Lloris and Paulo Gazzaniga, with Michel Vorm out of contract next summer.
Pope ticked all the boxes for Spurs; Premier League experience, English for homegrown quota rules and of a good age to eventually develop into a first-choice stopper and Lloris’s long-term successor.
However, if Burnley let Heaton go to Villa, Pope – expected back to fitness next month – would then be needed to take over from Heaton on the bench, or replace Hart in the starting line-up.
Burnley surely won’t let both go, and Heaton seems more likely to go right now, potentially leaving Spurs to go back to the drawing board in search of an English goalkeeper.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
