ADRIAN Heath was set to have transfer talks with a mystery midfield player today as he continues his ongoing efforts to reshape the Burnley squad ready for a promotion push next season, writes PETER WHITE.
The Turf Moor boss has kept his targets a closely-guarded secret so far this summer but stressed to the fans that, even though it seemed little was happening on the surface, there was a lot of work going on behind the scenes.
And, while he does not expect anything to happen imminently over this latest round of negotiations, Heath is happy in the belief that he is making genuine progress.
The manager was due to meet the midfielder this afternoon but he explained: "It's a question of getting people lined up.
"When a top Premiership club goes for a player, the deal can be done very quickly but it's not like that at this level.
"Nine times out of 10, players aren't going to jump in and make a decision as soon as the season finishes.
"When they are coming to the end of a contract, they want to wait and see what comes up. I can understand that.
"But I have spoken to two or three people now and we are a lot further down the road than we were at the end of the season."
Meanwhile, Heath played down reports that his former assistant John Ward, now in charge of Bristol City, was ready to launch a bid for any of the Turf Moor players, notably Paul Barnes.
"I still speak to John regularly and I know that he likes some of the players here," said Heath.
"He has a lot of time,for example, for Andy Cooke and one or two others as well.
"But he also knows our position very well and that we wouldn't be willing to sell anyone unless the money was too good to turn down."
Ward has his hands full with 15 players out of contract at Ashton Gate this summer and he is already resigned to losing striker Paul Agostino to German club Munich 1860.
But sources in Bristol said: "Suggestions that he will go back to Burnley to sign a striker to replace Agostino is probably someone putting two and two together and making five."
In any case, Heath is more in the market to sign a striker himself rather than sell one of those already at Turf Moor.
After selling Kurt Nogan to Preston North End, he would like to recruit another front man.
harlton today smashed their eight-year-old club transfer record with a £700,000 deal for Grimsby striker Clive Mendonca.
The 28-year-old has signed a three-year deal with Athletic, who beat off competition from Birmingham, Stoke, Sunderland and Ipswich to snap up the free-scoring forward.
The fee for the Londoner, who played for both Rotherham and Sheffield United prior to a five season spell with the Mariners, beats the £600,000 Charlton paid Chelsea for Joe McLaughlin in August 1989.
The Burnley offices are closed on Bank Holiday Monday.
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