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Burnley chairman: 'Michael Keane part of our future plans'

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter | 24 May 2017

Burnley chairman Mike Garlick is prepared to offload Michael Keane for free next year if it means the defender helping the club to stay in the Premier League.

Burnley chairman Mike Garlick has stressed that there is no pressure on the club to sell Michael Keane this summer, despite their star asset having just a year to run on his current deal.

The 24-year-old is coming off the back of an impressive campaign in the Premier League, being rewarded with his first senior England cap and seeing his name linked with a return to former club Manchester United.

United are reportedly prepared to hand over in excess of £25m to lure Keane back to Old Trafford, but Garlick is more concerned about the value that the centre-back brings the club by keeping them in the top flight for another year, even if it means offloading him for free in 12 months' time.

"Let's roll it forward a year - what's the prize for staying up again? Another £120-130m. So if we miss out on one or two fees and get that, I know what I'd take," Sky Sports News quotes him as saying.

"The most important thing for the fans to know is that we don't actually have to sell any player. Going forward it's got to be on our terms and terms that are right for us. Do we need to sell anyone? No.

"[The speculation] is part of the business and it comes with the territory of being a successful team that has an impact in the Premier League, which is what we've done. It's bound to attract attention.

"Right now, there's a lot of noise out there from the media but we haven't had any formal interest in anyone. If we want to keep players, we'll keep them."

Keane, who made 35 appearances for the Clarets in 2016-17, is also said to be on the radar of Merseyside rivals Everton and Liverpool.