BURNLEY are allowing winger Chris Eagles and Tyrone Mears permission to speak to Bolton Wanderers, after accepting a joint offer in the region of £3million.

Both players were signed by former Clarets boss Owen Coyle and are in the final year of their contracts.

Both sat out this afternoon's friendly at Torquay United.

A club statement read: "Burnley Football Club can confirm that Bolton Wanderers have been given permission to speak to Tyrone Mears and Chris Eagles.

"A fee in the region of £3m has been agreed for the Clarets duo, who are set to enter the final year of their current contracts.

"Burnley Football Club had hoped to persuade the players to sign extensions to their present deals.

"However, with the players expressing their desire to return to the Premier League, and effectively able to leave Turf Moor for free next summer, Burnley Football Club regrettably has accepted this offer from Bolton.

"Mears and Eagles will not take part in the Clarets’ pre-season friendly at Torquay today, as they look to discuss personal terms with Wanderers.

"The funds from Eagles and Mears’ expected departures will be used to strengthen the squad, with further transfer developments expected early next week."

Eddie Howe said: “It came pretty quickly on Friday.

"Being away (in Torquay on tour) I don’t know the details of the deal so that remains to be seen and we’ll have to wait and see what happens.

“I think the difficulty there was that they only had a year on their contract left and they would have both walked out for nothing next summer so I think from the club’s point of view £3million for the pair of them is money the club can use.

“I think I’ll get to use part of it. I don’t know if I’ll get to use all of it but we’ll definitely be in the market for players now.

“It possibly affects what we were looking at.

“I think when you lose a right back and especially someone as versatile as Chris and will play anywhere it does change slightly.

"Not necessarily position-wise but maybe the type of player that we’re after.

"You have to react to the situation, which we will.

“I can’t affect the timing of things so we just have to react to what’s happened.”

However, Howe is also mindful that the deals are not yet cut and dried.

Just 12 months ago Eagles held talks with Scottish Premier League giants Glasgow Rangers but returned to Turf Moor to sign a new contract, which – like Mears’ current deal – is due to expire next summer.

“We’re going to wait and see what happens over the weekend,” said Howe.

“If they say it’s not right for them they’ll come back to us.

“If the lads do go, from our point of view it’s sad.”