Leicester City transfer target Dwight McNeil is not for sale according to Burnley chairman Mike Garlick. The highly-rated 20-year-old is said to be attracting interest from the Foxes as well as Manchester United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Italian Champions Juventus.
Reports of the interest in McNeil first emerged around about a month ago and with the January transfer window fast approaching there are no signs of the rumours going away.
Should Leicester City go all out for Dwight McNeil?
Yes
No
However, Garlick in his programme notes made his stance clear (via Lancashire Live): “With the new year approaching we will be keeping an eye on the squad and any areas we feel we can look to improve.
“That’s an ongoing process and it is true that January is traditionally a tough time to look to do deals anyway as availability is lower and prices are often inflated.
“One thing we won’t be looking to do is put everything we’ve achieved at risk by selling any of our key players.
“To that end, I saw recently some reports of Dwight McNeil attracting interest, and understandably so after the start to the season that he has made.
“But there’s no way we will be looking to sell such an important player, who continues to grow in stature and is such an important part of what Sean (Dyche) is continually trying to build here.
“We’ve come so far as a club in recent years, and although we would never hold anyone back we hope our players see the opportunities that exist here to both play at the highest level and be a part of something special moving forwards.”
TIF Tactics – Every player has their price
McNeil signed a new contract with Burnley at the beginning of this year, but as we know in football, if the price is right that doesn’t count for much. The 20-year-old has started every Premier League game for Sean Dyche’s side this season and provided four assists as well as scoring a goal in the game versus Chelsea at Turf Moor in October.
According to TransferMarkt.co.uk the player is valued at £13.5m but you suspect it will take a lot more than that to bring Burnley to the negotiation table.
Indeed, the midfielder has played a key role for the Turf Moor outfit this season, as he has become an attacking outlet for Dyche’s side. According to the data collected by WhoScored, McNeil has managed to achieve an average of 1.3 shots in his 14 Premier League appearances to date, provide 1.4 key passes to his team-mates, complete two dribbles as well as record 1.1 tackles, 0.6 interceptions and 0.5 clearances per game, as well as four assists – which goes to show how vital he has become and why top-flight clubs are reportedly sniffing around.