Burnley FC: Club launch bid to sign Maxime Esteve before Friday's 11pm deadline | OneFootball

Maxime Esteve has become the subject of a bid from the Bundesliga side, who are keen on striking another deal with the Clarets.

Bundesliga outfit Hoffenheim have submitted a formal offer for Burnley centre-back Maxime Esteve.

This is according to Fabrizio Romano, who has reported that yet another player at Turf Moor has attracted interest from elsewhere.

The Clarets seem to be in the midst of a clearout at this stage, with several first-teamers leaving the club since their first league clash of the season at Luton Town.

Following their thumping win at Kenilworth Road, many fans would have been excited about the season to come.

Some would have acknowledged that some key players may be departing between then and the end of the transfer window, but many didn't expect such a vast number of first-teamers to depart.

Wilson Odobert, Scott Twine, Sander Berge, Anass Zaroury, Johann Berg Gudmundsson, Dara O'Shea and Ameen Al-Dakhil have all left the club permanently since their game against the Hatters - and Michael Obafemi has been loaned out to Plymouth Argyle.

Some of their other players look set to depart Turf Moor before the window closes on Friday night - and with this - an exit can't be ruled out for anyone at this point.

One area that was stacked with too many options was their centre-back department, but O'Shea and Al-Dakhil have left Turf Moor in recent times.

However, both Bashir Humphreys and Joe Worrall have arrived as centre-back options in recent times and that could open the door for Esteve to make a move away.

Hoffenheim submit offer for Maxime Esteve

The central defender only made the move to Lancashire in January - and although he was unable to save the team from relegation in the end - he managed to put in some admirable performances.

With this, it's no surprise that he has been linked with a return to the Premier League in recent months, but his next destination could end up being the Bundesliga.

Hoffenheim, who took Wout Weghorst on loan last year, have made a move for another one of the Clarets' players.

Romano has reported that they have submitted a loan offer for the centre-back - and that loan could include an obligation to buy clause if certain conditions are met.

Burnley must limit movement between now and the end of the window

The Clarets have a very decent number of centre-back options at this point and this is one area where more departures will be acceptable.

Jordan Beyer, Hannes Delcroix, CJ Egan-Riley, Hjalmar Ekdal, Esteve, Humphreys, Luke McNally and Joe Worrall can all operate in central defence when fit.

And with this in mind, one or two departures in this area may make sense, but the Clarets should be looking to limit movement at Turf Moor, certainly in terms of outgoings, between now and the end of the window to try and retain stability.

Esteve is a player who probably should be kept, because he's a young player who has plenty of potential and could help to guide the club back to the top level.