Burnley boss Sean Dyche is adamant the Clarets will not be forced to part with players on the cheap due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Defender James Tarkowski has this week been linked with Leicester and Crystal Palace while Dwight McNeil is one of the fastest-rising stars in the Premier League.

Both could prove tough to keep hold of in the summer, but Dyche insists the Clarets will be demanding top dollar for their prize assets.

The Turf Moor boss has expressed his frustration as the club’s handling of its out-of-contract players with Jeff Hendrick and Phil Bardsley among those whose participation in the final nine games of the season is not clear.

Only short-term extensions are being discussed but the Clarets’ strong financial footing means Dyche is confident the club will not be held to ransom in the transfer market in the months to come.

Burnley posted a net profit for a third successive season in their accounts for the financial year to June 2019 with a surplus of £4.3million.

When asked about the potential of seeing star names depart, Dyche said: “The club's in an incredibly strong position financially, that hasn't changed because of Covid, so I don't think that will affect that.

"If anyone does want to knock on our door and ask for our players, I don't think it will affect the price radically, I still think we know the true worth of our players."

Predictions vary on what the transfer market will look like this summer with many hypothesising clubs will have to cut their cloth accordingly.

Chelsea have however this week already started building for next season with the signing of Timo Werner from RB Leipzig for a fee just short of £50million.

With wages and other clauses across the five-year contract, the Blues’ overall outlay is north of £100million.

Dyche believes more than anything that whatever comings and goings there are, each club will be impacted by the post-Covid-19 economy differently.

“It would be difficult for us as a club to be more conservative," he said with a smile.

"If you're talking about the greater view of football, we'll see.

"We've already seen a couple of moves that look like they're going to happen for massive amounts of money, the £50m mark, and that still seems like a hell of a lot of money in my world at Burnley.

"I think it depends on the ownership of clubs, how they view the financial running of the club, so I don't know.

"Some will see it as an opportunity, clubs who are very wealthy, they may see players who they thought they were going to have to pay whatever for come down, but the whole market might get questioned, and therefore come down.

"I think it will be each to their own, and see how the market comes back to life."

The decision whether to stick or twist will be difficult for the Clarets and others, something Dyche admits is a constant dilemma at Turf Moor as the club look to kick on without being reckless financially.

“The club has had a way of working for a long time,” he said ahead of Monday’s trip to Manchester City.

“I was saying 18 months ago that we have got to stretch the finance without breaking the structure of the club.

“We’re in a very strong position financially – even with all this going on.

“The risk is if you don’t put enough in, you could run into trouble. If you put too much in then you can still get in trouble. Finding the balance is tricky.”