New club join Oxford United in race to sign Burnley FC player | OneFootball

Hannes Delcroix is believed to be attracting interest from a team in the top tier of French football.

Ligue 1 side Metz have taken an interest in Burnley centre-back Hannes Delcroix.

According to Foot Mercato, they have now joined the race to recruit the Clarets' defender, who has also attracted interest from Oxford United.

At the time of the Football Insider report, the U's had a shortage of centre-back options, with Elliott Moore, Ben Nelson and Sam Long all on the sidelines.

But they have moved for Michal Helik since then, and with Stephan Negru now being recalled, it remains to be seen whether Gary Rowett's side will recruit another central defender.

This could open the door for another team to swoop in and win the race for the 25-year-old, who hasn't been able to win any game time so far this season, mainly due to injury troubles. His game time throughout his spell at Turf Moor has even been limited.

He has made the bench on a couple of occasions this season, including against Reading earlier this month, but he didn't make the matchday squad against Sunderland on Friday.

This could indicate that he may be available for clubs to recruit him on loan.

Not only are starters Maxime Esteve and CJ Egan-Riley ahead of him in the pecking order at this stage, but also John Egan and Joe Worrall, both of whom have promotion-winning experience at this level and could still make some valuable contributions this season.

Metz now in the race for Hannes Delcroix

The French side are "studying the profile" of Delcroix ahead of a potential approach for the player, according to Foot Mercato.

And the same outlet believes he could potentially make the move to France in the form of a loan deal, with a potential option to buy after that.

The player's contract doesn't expire until 2026, which puts the Clarets in a fairly strong negotiating position, but it remains to be seen whether an exit will be sanctioned before the end of the window.

Football Insider believes the Lancashire side are willing to send him out on a loan, without a permanent option included.

Burnley should be prepared to sanction Hannes Delcroix loan move

Delcroix might still have a decent amount to offer at Turf Moor.

His time there hasn't gone to plan so far - and a temporary move elsewhere could allow him to regain his sharpness and play regularly.

The Clarets can then monitor him during his loan spell, before making a decision on him in the summer.

Oxford could still be a good destination for him if he's happy to start at left-back.