Burnley hold talks with Lens midfielder Seko Fofana with the Clarets ready to use funds from Chris Wood’s sale to buy the £14m-rated Ivorian, who is also wanted by Leeds and Newcastle
- Burnley have held talks with Lens over a move for their midfielder Seko Fofana
- He’s valued at £14m but it remains to be seen whether that’ll secure his signature
- The 26-year-old is also wanted by Premier League duo Leeds and Newcastle
- Burnley are set to use some of Chris Wood’s £25m sale to sign the IvorianÂ
Burnley have held talks with French side Lens for £14million-rated midfielder Seko Fofana who has also attracted interest from Leeds and Newcastle.
It remains to be seen if an offer of £14m would be enough to secure Fofana’s signature, given how integral he has been to Lens’ campaign this season.
With the Clarets on the verge of selling striker Chris Wood to relegation rivals Newcastle in a £25m deal, they could be ready to pump that money back into improving Sean Dyche’s side in a bid to beat the drop.
Burnley have held talks with Lens over a move for their £14m-rated midfielder Seko Fofana
Fofana, who wasn’t called up to Ivory Coast’s squad for the Africa Cup of Nations, could be sold in January should the right offer come in for him.Â
The former Manchester City youngster, who also had a spell at Fulham, was named as Ligue 1’s Player of the Month for September and currently has five goals from 17 appearances for Lens this season.
Fofana revealed Arsenal and France legend Patrick Vieira was a huge influence on his development and has drawn comparisons to fellow Ivorian Yaya Toure.
Burnley boss Sean Dyche is eyeing up a move for the 26-year-old in the January window
In an interview with Manchester Evening News, Fofana said: ‘Patrick Vieira has helped me to progress every day. He was a big player in my position so his advice is good.
‘He knows how to get the best from the group and I think he has the quality required to become a great coach.’
Newcastle and Leeds are also monitoring the situation.
Meanwhile on Tyneside, the Magpies are set to complete the £25m signing of Wood after activating a release clause in his contract, infuriating their relegation rivals.
The 30-year-old will undergo a medical at St James’ Park ahead of his expected debut at home to Watford on Saturday.
Newcastle are close to completing the signing of Chris Wood from fellow strugglers Burnley
Sportsmail understands Burnley, managed by Sean Dyche, are livid at losing a regular starter to a team level on points in the bottom three. The Clarets are disappointed that Wood would leave them in this circumstance, and it is said they have no replacement lined up.
The New Zealand international will become the second signing of Newcastle’s Saudi-led regime, following the £12m arrival of Kieran Trippier from Atletico Madrid last week.
The two players share the same agency – CAA Base – and it is understood Newcastle co-owner Amanda Staveley and head coach Eddie Howe were alerted to the availability of Wood during the completion of the Trippier deal.
