Burnley‘s Dara O’Shea has been pursued by multiple Premier League clubs this summer and reports have suggested one now has the advantage in securing his signature.
The Irish international has been subject to interest from the top flight following The Clarets’ relegation last season, with Wolverhampton Wanderers, Brentford and Ipswich Town all rumoured to be targeting the centre-back. Thomas Frank’s side had previously submitted a £15 million bid but have since moved for Liverpool’s Sepp van den Berg in a £25 million move.
Reports from the BBC yesterday did suggest that Wolves were O’Shea’s favoured destination, having previously played in the West Midlands for arch-enemies West Bromwich Albion. The Molineux club sold Max Kilman to West Ham for £40 million earlier in the window and have targetted the 25-year-old as his replacement.
According to journalist Alex Crook this morning, Ipswich Town now hold the advantage over Gary O’Neil’s side after meeting Burnley’s valuation of the defender, something Wanderers haven’t yet done. The BBC report also noted that they have previously bid £13 million for O’Shea, but will likely face rejection from Scott Parker’s team.
The Tractor Boys have invested heavily in recent weeks of this window, signing Blackburn Rovers‘ Sammie Szmodics, former Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips and Chelsea’s Omari Hutchinson. They are also expected to bring in Jack Clarke from Sunderland, with the move reaching its final stages.
Ipswich made their Premier League return last weekend but fell to Liverpool 2-0, with fellow new recruit Jacob Greaves picking up the Man of the Match award at Portman Road. They travel to current Premier League champions Manchester City this weekend.
Burnley have signed Bashir Humphreys on a season-long loan with an option to buy, as well as Nottingham Forest’s Joe Worrall on a permanent deal. Maxime Esteve joined earlier in the window from Montpellier and has already played twice since returning to Lancashire.
Writer’s View
Burnley’s recent dealings with Humphreys and Worrall do hint at an expectation that Dara O’Shea will be leaving before the window shuts. Whilst not a priority player to move on, it seems that the Irish international has his heart set on moving to Wolves. It is however up to Gary O’Neil to meet The Clarets’ demand as Ipswich Town are now looking poised to hijack a move. Even if O’Shea manages to stay at Turf Moor it would be a bonus to have such a strong depth in defence as Scott Parker looks to get the club back into the top flight.
Wolves are inhibited by financial rules so do not have a lot of wiggle room should they want to sign O’Shea and another player before the end of next week. Kilman and Pedro Neto have gone for big sums and they will need to replace them. The debut of Yerson Mosquera against Arsenal last week may force their hands in meeting Burnley’s valuation as his antics may get him a sending-off should he repeat them in future. Relying on an aging Craig Dawson to hold your backline will not be a very encouraging sign if no defenders come through the door at Molineux.
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