Burnley should consider summer Man United deal if Juventus competition proves too great: Opinion | OneFootball

Burnley‘s 3-0 victory over Norwich City on the weekend means that they’re 17 points clear of third-placed Middlesbrough with 17 games left to play.

The Clarets have looked on a clear course to return to the Premier League for some time now and it would take a remarkable collapse for them to miss out on promotion from the Championship.

The confidence that Vincent Kompany and co. have in the squad getting the job done was clear to see in the winter transfer window, with the Burnley boss revealing that some of their January business was done to allow them to get a headstart on their summer recruitment.

One winter target that they may well return to when the window opens again is Spezia right-back Emil Holm.

Reports in Italy (Il Secolo XIX (via Bold.dk)) suggested the Clarets and Brentford were keen on the 22-year-old – likely with a view to agreeing a deal for him in the summer.

The Swedish right-back is thought to be valued in the region of €7 million (£6.25m) by his current club, which would certainly be affordable after promotion.

However, recently Juventus have been touted (Corriere di Torino via Tutto Juve) with an interest as they search for fresh blood on the right flank and, understandably, it might be tough for the Lancashire club to compete with the Italian giants.

Think you’re a hardcore Burnley fan? Try score 20/20 on this quiz all about the club

1 of 20

How many points did Burnley amass during their title-winning 2015/16 Championship campaign?

86 88 89 93

Were Burnley to fail as a result of I Bianconeri’s interest then they could turn their attention to Manchester United defender Ethan Laird as a replacement.

The 21-year-old has been hugely impressive while on loan at QPR this season – proving a real attacking threat on the right flank.

We know that Kompany loves his full-backs to get forward and Laird excels in that area.

As per FBREF, he’s in the top 4% of 2022/23 Championship full-backs in terms of progressive carries per 90, the top 9% in terms of touches in the opposition box, and the top 19% in terms of shot-creating actions.

He starred in loan spells at Swansea City and MK Dons previously and is out of contract in the summer, which could allow Burnley a chance to strike.

United may well look to lock him down to fresh terms but even if they do, Turf Moor would surely be an appealing loan destination.

Unless they see him as part of the first team squad, sending the defender on loan to a Premier League side that looks to play front-foot football, which we expect Kompany’s side to do, would surely make sense.

Laird should be a player on Burnley’s radar as the summer approaches.