Coyle confirms Paterson interest

10:22am Wednesday 21st May 2008

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OWEN Coyle says he will do everything to try to bring Martin Paterson to Turf Moor, insisting the Scunthorpe hot-shot is just the calibre of striker Burnley need.

The Clarets manager has confirmed that Paterson is among five players that the club have tabled offers for over the past fornight.

But Burnley's initial approach to lure the 21-year-old from Glanford Park seems to have failed, after being told by Scunthorpe's acting chairman Rex Garton that their leading marksman is not for sale.

Reports over the weekend suggested that the Clarets had tabled a £400,000 bid for the Northern Ireland international.

However, sources close to Scunthope have indicated that Burnley may have to double their offer to prise Paterson away.

But Coyle is a huge admirer of the former Stoke City man, and is hopeful of clinching a deal this summer.

"As you know, we always carry out our business in private," said the Clarets boss, who yesterday attended the funeral of Celtic legend Tommy Burns in Glasgow.

"But I think it's fair to say that Scunthorpe have confirmed our intentions regarding Martin Paterson.

"We are trying our best to bring him to Burnley, and we want to agree a transfer fee with Scunthorpe.

"Basically, that's where we are at the moment. Whether we re-visit the situation, we'll have to wait and see.

"We won't ever reveal in public how much we offer for a player, but if Scunthorpe say it's not enough, then we can do one of two things.

"We either increase our offer, or we turn our attentions elsewhere."

Coyle added: "He's a player I like. He's at a very good age and he's proved at this level that he can score goals.

"As I've said before, we are looking to try and bring younger players into the squad. Players that are coming in need to be of a decent age.

"That's no disrespect to the players that we've had before, but we're not in a situation where we are looking for a quick-fix; a seasoned pro. We are looking more towards the long-term."

But while Coyle keeps his eyes on the Iron striker, he admits he is also waiting on several other transfer targets.

"He's not the only one," said the Burnley boss. "I've tabled offers for five players in the last fortnight.

"I won't get them all, but I'd like to think at least a couple of them will come off."

Sources close to Scunthorpe have suggested that the Clarets may need to stump up between £750,000 and £1million to sign Paterson, who scored 14 goals for United last season and won his first full international cap for Northern Ireland.

Although Scunthorpe suffered relegation to League One, they are financially secure and are not looking to cash in on their top names.

Last season, they sold Andy Keogh to Wolves for £600,000 and picked up £2 million after transferring star striker Billy Sharp to Sheffield United.