Burnley are reportedly ready to snap up Chelsea outcast Ross Barkley on a loan deal, in the upcoming January transfer window.
According to The Sun, Burnley have entered the market for Ross Barkley. The Premier League minnows have identified an excellent opportunity to snap up the Chelsea outcast, who is likely to be available in the market, once the transfer window reopens in January.
Burnley are prepared to pay a chunk of Barkley’s salary in order to sign him on a loan deal and strengthen the overall quality of their team, as coach Sean Dyche looks to mastermind another relegation escape this season.
Barkley has been on the fringes at Chelsea ever since returning from his loan spell at Aston Villa this summer. Since the start of the campaign, the playmaker has featured in only 36 minutes of competitive football under Thomas Tuchel, falling behind the likes of Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic and even Ruben Loftus-Cheek in the pecking order.
It remains unlikely that Barkley will redeem himself at Stamford Bridge anytime soon. The fact that Chelsea are linked with a move for more attacking midfielders like Christopher Nkunku makes things even more difficult for the former Everton starlet.
Burnley, though, are prepared to offer Barkley a career lifeline by welcoming him into their ranks during the second half of the campaign. The Englishman is being targeted to help further strengthen the club’s creative unit that has struggled to create regular scoring opportunities.
With just five goals scored, the Clarets have the second-worst offensive record in the league. Dyche will hope that the addition of Barkley could change that, as the 27-year-old has proven to be a productive midfielder in the past and with 227 appearances in the Premier League, his experience could be vital in helping the club guide through this difficult phase.
Burnley are not the only club to have been linked with a move for Barkley, though. In the summer, West Bromwich Albion were handed the opportunity to snap up the Chelsea midfielder, and it won’t be surprising to see them enter the market for him, in the upcoming January transfer window.
