It'd be no surprise if Burnley renew Millwall transfer chase: View | OneFootball

Both Burnley and Millwall haven't had the seasons they would have hoped, and with that, the Clarets could use the Lions' predicament to help sign a player they desperately wanted last summer.

Upon finishing last season, Vincent Kompany's Burnley were heading for the Premier League, and Gary Rowett's Millwall had just missed out on a play-off spot after a final day defeat to Blackburn Rovers. It is fair to say, fans from both clubs would not have seen what would then happen over the next year or so.

Returning to the present day, Burnley sit in 19th place in the Premier League and look certain to go straight back down after a dismal season where they have only won four times. Millwall, too, are mired in a relegation battle, sitting four points above the drop with four games of the Championship season to go - a far cry from the places they were contending for in 2022/23.

With the summer transfer window looming ever-nearer then, it would be to nobody's surprise if the Clarets utilise the fact the London side have been far from their best this season to try to tempt Zian Flemming away from The Den once again.

Last summer, Burnley had multiple attempts to sign the Dutchman thwarted by Millwall, after he had performed admirably in his first season in English football. Bids of up to £7m were reportedly tabled and then rejected in the transfer pursuit which tailed on throughout the window.

Vincent Kompany wanted to sign Millwall's number ten, as, in that amazing first season, he scored a fantastic 15 goals from attacking midfield, and registered three assists.

He would have suited Kompany's fast flowing style of play too and could have, if signed last summer, might well have supported a faltering attacking unit at Turf Moor in the Premier League.

The interest could soon be reignited, as despite a poor season on Millwall's part, the attacking midfielder has still scored seven goals and registered four assists so far. With Millwall needing every ounce of effort from every member of their squad, those numbers will surely be added to over the next four games.

Flemming could still be a very shrewd pick-up for Kompany and Burnley if they do look at finally completing a deal for the 25-year-old to help them with another instant promotion back to the Premier League.

Flemming's choice last summer

Once the dust had settled last summer surrounding his transfer rollercoaster, Flemming sat down with Millwall's local newspaper, Southwark News, and discussed his thoughts surrounding the failed move to Burnley.

Speaking to the paper, he said: "Well, there was that Premier League interest and if you asked me beforehand, it obviously would be incredible to play in the Premier League. But in the end it didn’t happen.

"Making a move is part of the game and not making a move is part of the game as well. So yeah, it is what it is. I feel happy here, I felt happy here last year. So there was no desperate need to leave.

"If you’re at a club where you don’t feel happy or whatever, then maybe you really want to force that move. I’m still at Millwall, which maybe some people think that’s a negative thing, but for me, that’s not a negative thing.

“It would have been an incredible move for me if I had gone to the Premier League. Now I haven’t, I’m at Millwall, and we’re trying to go to the Premier League together again, which was the plan in the first place anyway.”

Now that the plan of trying to reach the Premier League with the Lions has long been forgotten about amid the continued battle against relegation, surely if Burnley were to register interest again, Millwall and Flemming would look to part ways.

Millwall would struggle replacing Flemming

If Millwall do end up losing Flemming this summer, the likelihood is that they will be in for another tough season in 2024/25, as he is the starlet of their team and the only player to have scored more than five goals this season.

While they do have the talent of Kevin Nisbet and the ever-reliable Tom Bradshaw elsewhere in the squad, Scotsman Nisbet is currently recovering from a hamstring injury and Bradshaw is not getting any younger, with the Welshman being the oldest attacker they have in the squad.

Add to that the fact that Bradshaw is out of contract this summer and the future doesn't seem too rosy for the Lions.

Yes, they will have the money from any potential sale of Flemming, but with other clubs in the Championship, and even in the Premier League, beginning to look at the cheaper bargains from outside the UK as financial restrictions tighten, the likelihood that Millwall will be able to poach another Zian Flemming looks extremely unlikely.

Given at this precise moment in time, too, they are not an extremely attractive side to join, languishing near the bottom of the Championship, which makes signing a replacement of equal talents a hard task.

This may mean they look toward their youth talents, something they have not shied away from doing this season, but with that comes risks.

While the talents of Romain Esse, Aidomo Emakhu and Adam Mayor have all been seen this season, they have not had enough exposure to elite football yet to be relied upon heavily next season. Therefore, they may not be of the standard to help Millwall have a vastly more successful term next time out in 2024/25.

That's all if, of course, Burnley renew their interest in Flemming. Something you really wouldn't be surprised to see happen.