BURNLEY chief Adrian Heath admitted today: "I may have to sell Kurt Nogan."

But the Clarets boss has vowed to do "everything in his power'' to keep the £1 million-rated striker at Turf Moor.

Speculation has increased this week that Nogan could be on his way out of Turf Moor in a big money deal.

But Heath confirmed: "There is nothing imminent. Kurt Nogan will be playing for us against Bournemouth on Saturday. I can guarantee that."

The Lancashire Evening Telegraph exclusively revealed that Heath had opened contract negotiations with his leading marksman last month.

Now the manager is banking on Nogan signing a new three-year deal - or he could face the prospect of selling him to the highest bidder.

He admitted: "We might have to listen to offers if a club came in for Kurt Nogan and said 'We'll give you so much money now.' That's a solution we'd be silly to ignore.

"The problem we've got is that if Kurt waits until the end of the season before he makes a decision then we run the risk of losing him for nothing. "It's quite a difficult situation for us.

"Kurt could just walk out the door under the Bosman ruling and we'd not get a penny for him.

"We'll have to weigh up the pros and cons. Hopefully we'll find a good solution for everybody."

But Heath wants Nogan - who leads the Clarets scoring charts with 11 league and cup goals - to pledge his future to the club.

Although the manager says he has had no firm inquiries for Nogan from the domestic market, an unidentified Turkish club have recently shown keen interest.

Heath added: "I'm trying to build a squad capable of taking this club into the First Division.

"Kurt Nogan is a key part of those plans. I want him to stay and play at Burnley.

"I understand Kurt's situation. Professionals work hard and only have a short career. He is keeping his options open.

"It just means that we're going to have to work extra hard to make sure it's a lucrative enough offer for Kurt Nogan to stay at Burnley.

"I'll be doing everything in my power to try to persuade Kurt Nogan to stay."

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