Burnley have joined Aston Villa in the race to sign Stoke City midfielder Glenn Whelan this summer, according to the Sun.
The newspaper claims that the Burnley boss Sean Dyche wants an experienced head in the midfield to replace Joey Barton who will be unavailable next season as he is currently facing a ban from the FA for betting offences.
The report claims that the Premier League side believe that Whelan is the perfect candidate to slot into the first-team and Burnley are keen to secure a deal worth £2.5million for the midfielder this summer.
Aston Villa are also reportedly in the hunt to land the experienced Republic of Ireland international but the Sun reports that the Championship side are not willing to pay a fee for the player.
It is also said that Whelan is interested in remaining in the Premier League next season.
This follows up from the story in the Mirror which reported that the midfielder has his heart set on a summer move to Villa Park.
This is not the first time that Burnley have been linked with a reported Villa summer target as the Daily Mail recently claimed that the Premier League are keen on landing James McArthur.
Whelan is certainly a player with vast experience under his belt as he has featured in a total of 276 Premier League matches throughout his career.
The midfielder’s contract with Stoke runs out next summer.