Burnley move for Knight is not on cards

SEAN Dyche says Burnley are still looking to complete deals in the transfer window as links with Derby County’s Jason Knight persist.

The Clarets have recently been taken over by American company ALK Capital, with new chairman Alan Pace keen to give Dyche his backing this month.

Dyche spoke about transfers at a press conference on Friday and says the club’s new owners are getting used to Premier League football and Burnley’s way of working.

Knight, Derby’s stand-out player in 2020-21, has been heavily linked with a move away from Pride Park this month and Leeds United are also said to be interested in the Republic of Ireland international.

Rams boss Wayne Rooney has said he does not see Knight leaving Pride Park this season, with the 19-year-old a key part of his relegation-battling side.

Dyche, whose club are now nine points away from the Premier League relegation places in 15th, says he does not envisage any big deals being concluded before Monday night’s 11pm transfer deadline.

Knight is likely to command a large fee, with the player under contract until 2023.

“There are loads of stories, loads of mistruths as always at this time of year,” said Dyche. “The new ownership are still getting to grips with what the club is about.

“We’re still in the market, still trying, but I don’t think it’s going to be anything radical, any large amounts of money.

“It’s a balance while the new ownership learn about the club and how it works.”

Rooney, who recently made Knight captain of the Rams, has hailed the youngster a “manager’s dream”.

He said: “He’s very vocal, which is very rare for a young player these days. He gives everything in training – tackling, running; very similar to the way I was at his age.

“I was a player who believed, at 20, that I should be captain of Manchester United. I told Sir Alex Ferguson that in the Champions League against Roma away and I know Jason Knight is exactly the same.

“He’s a manager’s dream. He gives everything. I said to him after the defeat to Rotherham: ‘Did you not play well because you had the armband on?’ That was his one bad game.

“But I’ve never questioned age. He’s the one, not just for the younger players in the dressing room but the older lads, who others can look at. He gives you energy, desire, runs non-stop.

“I still want more from him quality-wise, in terms of crosses, shots, goals, assists, but in terms of what we are trying to build for this group of players he fully deserves it, whether he’s 19 or whether he’s 30.

“To get the recognition and experience shows how highly we think of him.”