Burnley boss Sean Dyche is in talks with free agent Joey Barton

27 August 2015 04:01

Burnley manager Sean Dyche has confirmed he is in talks with Joey Barton about bringing the free-agent midfielder to Turf Moor.

The 32-year-old is available having been released by Sky Bet Championship rivals QPR following their relegation from the top flight at the end of last term.

Barton, who has one England cap to his credit, recently revealed he would not be joining West Ham in a video posted on his Twitter account and his next step could now be back to the north-west.

Burnley are keen on a central midfielder after missing out on Nottingham Forest's Henri Lansbury and Dyche conceded he has held discussions with Barton over a possible move.

"It's a possibility, that's what I'd say," Dyche told a press conference on Thursday.

"There's a lot of other suitors, it's not as simple as that.

"Joey's someone I've spoken to for eight weeks. He's someone who I know a little bit about. He knows about us, he's always been very respectful of what we've tried to do here and what we've done here."

Barton, who has courted controversy throughout his career, was struck by a coke bottle thrown from the crowd when playing for QPR during a previous visit to Turf Moor in 2013.

Dyche added: "The thing about Joey is what people sometimes forget because of other stuff is he's a very good player and he has a lot of people who probably hold him in high regard as a very good player.

"We're not flippant enough with any situation to think that everyone just wants to come to Burnley because we ask them to. This is something that's been going on for a while.

"No other reason than his thinking, our thinking, a bit of both. All parties have to be happy in the situation, that's for sure."

Source: PA