BURNLEY would be set for a cash windfall should Jay Rodriguez be sold by Southampton.

The England international has been tipped for a move to Tottenham Hotspur, following in the footsteps of manager Mauricio Pochettino from St Mary’s after he was announced as Tim Sherwood’s successor at White Hart Lane.

The Argentine is a huge admirer of homegrown ex-Claret Rodriguez, who has excelled under his leadership since a record £7million move from Turf Moor two years ago.

As part of the deal that took the former Barrowford Celtic youngster to the south coast a sell-on clause was agreed.

And newly promoted Burnley would stand to benefit from 20 per cent of any profit made on a future sale.

That move could happen as early as this summer, despite Rodriguez recovering from the ruptured cruciate knee ligament which cruelly cut short his season and shattered his World Cup dream.

The 24-year-old is not expected to return to action until October at the earliest, after a predicted six-month lay-off following the injury he sustained away to Manchester City in April.

But Pochettino’s relationship with the striker, and encouraging signs for Rodriguez’s rehabilitation, could mean that Spurs opt against waiting for the January transfer window and act before he returns to full fitness, with Southampton expected to put a minimum £15million price tag on his head as they are not under pressure to sell.

Rodriguez, a product of Burnley’s youth development, earned his Premier League move at the end of the 2011/12 season in which he finished top scorer at Turf Moor, with 21 goals in league and cup.

He just missed out on double figures in his first Premier League season, but after being in and out of the starting line-up under Nigel Adkins, the appointment of Pochettino at St Mary’s had an instant impact on his game.

He was a regular in the former Espanyol manager’s line-ups for the remainder of the season, but despite scoring three goals in as many games – in wins over Liverpool, Chelsea and Reading – just missed out on double figures.

Rodriguez scored 17 last season, 15 of them in the Premier League making him the second highest scoring Englishman in the top flight behind Liverpool’s Daniel Sturridge, and in contention for a place in Roy Hodgson’s World Cup squad before injury.