SEAN Dyche insists Burnley would be prepared to let Michael Keane leave on a free transfer in the summer of 2018 if they don’t receive a bid they consider acceptable this summer.

And the Clarets chief said the 24-year-old centre back had been told that was the case as speculation over his future continues.

It was reported this week that Keane would be leaving this summer, but Dyche said that was news to him, adding that the club remain ‘in control’ of the England defender’s future.

With Everton and Manchester United circling it may be that Keane departs for a club record fee at the end of this season, but Dyche said Burnley would be happy to hold on to one of their star men for another year and allow him to go for nothing if bids didn’t match the club valuation.

“Absolutely, we’re in a great position, if that came around,” Dyche said when asked if they could hang on to Keane for the final year of his deal. “That’s where the club has changed. It would have to be appropriate for all parties, and all parties are in the loop.

“There’s no story, when everyone reads it, they’ll all say ‘that’s exactly what we’ve been told.’

“I’m open and honest with the players. We’ll look at it and speak to the relevant people, if it doesn’t fit we’ll crack on.”

It could be a difficult summer at Turf Moor, with top scorer Andre Gray also being linked with a move away.

Like Keane, Gray has just a year remaining on his current deal and could walk away for free at the end of next season.

But Dyche insists speculation over the duo’s future won’t overshadow Burnley’s attempts to take another step forward this summer.

“I think it’s a natural part of the club’s continuing progress,” he said.

“It’s good in one way to have your players linked, getting recognised by, usually, bigger concerns.

“The challenge is then contractual, a financial numbers game, players that are happy and settled.

“It’s just enhanced more in the Premier League than in the Championship. In the Championship we’d be viewed stronger for all the different variants, pushing to be in the Premier League.

“In the Premier League we go to the bottom end of that market, so that’s the way it is.”

Keane rejected a new four-year contract offered by Burnley last summer after the Clarets turned down a £15million offer for his services from Leicester City, and it appears almost certain he won’t be signing an extension now.

Asked if talks were ongoing with Gray to secure last season’s Championship top scorer on a longer deal, Dyche said: “Talks with all players are always going on. I don’t lie, we’re open with all the players.

“We all sing from the same hymn sheet, it keeps it really simple.

“Everyone knows where they stand.”

If both players do depart it could be another summer rebuild for Dyche at Turf Moor, although the Clarets went through a similar process after their last Premier League campaign two years ago, when Danny Ings, Kieran Trippier and Jason Shackell all departed.

The Burnley boss added: “It’s a challenge, because the big thing is recruitment, getting the right people in at the right cost base. It’s massive for us.

“We’re the lowest end of the market, so it’s not just the package, it’s the whole thing with the club, and often it is down to finance.

“Players want good contracts, simple as that.”