BURNLEY have had an offer for Mansfield right back Luke O’Neill rejected, but have not made a rene-wed bid for defender Jason Shackell.

An unnamed Championship club is believed to have offered Derby County £1million-plus for the 28-year-old, but I understand it did not come from the Clarets.

Boss Eddie Howe targeted the experien-ced former Barnsley captain last summer but missed out to the Rams in the end.

He is looking to add to his defensive options, but is not set to revisit his interest in Shackell.

Howe has, however, been tracking attack-minded full back O’Neill, and stepped up his interest as Burnley became the first club to make the Conference side a concrete offer, which was rejected yesterday.

Mansfield boss Paul Cox said: “The offer has been turned down as it is well below our valuation of the player.

“We have also had enquiries from another Championship club.

“We are in the process of putting together a squad which will improve on our position of third place from last season – to do that we will aim to keep our best players.

“As a manager, I would never want to stand in the way of a young player’s progression, but I have to do what is in the best interests of this football club.

“I expect more offers to come in for Luke and if the right offer comes along, we will not stand in his way.”

Mansfield are not in a position where they need to sell, as they plot a return to the Football League.

Derby boss Nigel Clough is in a similar position. Less than a year after spending £750,000 on signing Shackell from Oakwell, he is not planning on letting the towering defender go.

Shackell was given the captain’s armband for the last 10 games of the season following injury to skipper Shaun Barker.

With centre half Barker already ruled out for the whole of next term, such is the severity of his knee injury, Clough will be especially determined to hang on to his defensive partner.

“We keep emphasising, we don’t have to sell but if we do it will be to strengthen the team,” said Clough, who confirmed the bid had not been accepted.

“We have seen how Southampton and Reading, on a larger scale, have done it and won promotion.

“Both raked in £12m on players last summer. We cannot do that, but you can apply the same principle.

“If one or two players have to go to bring three or four in and it strengthens the team as a whole, then that is what we will look to do.

“That is business, it always has been at the majority of levels in football, but we don’t have to do that.”

But, as Burnley have experienced with regard to player of the season Kieran Trippier and players’ player of the season Jay Rodriguez, Clough knows speculation about his better players is inevitable.

“There are not too many centre halves out there as good as him at this level,” he said.

“As always, every bid we receive will be judged on its merit and whether we can get in a replacement.

“If we have not got a replacement lined up and available, then we don’t do anything.

“The same applies to any player.

“If an offer allows us to replace a player with better that is part of the on-going process of trying to move forward.”

Burnley have also been linked to Cardiff City’s second choice goalkeeper Tom Heaton and young Manchester City attacking Ahmad Benali but neither are on the club’s list of summer transfer targets.