Howe plans to add to Burnley squad before pre-season (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Howe plans to add to Burnley squad before pre-season

10:09am Monday 25th June 2012 in Football By Suzanne Geldard, Burnley FC reporter

EDDIE Howe is hopeful of adding at least one more new signing before his players report back for pre-season in less than a fortnight.

The Clarets, who have already bought promising young right back Luke O’Neill from Mansfield Town, have so far struggled in their attempts to secure long-term target Jason Shackell.

But Leeds United midfielder Adam Clayton remains on Burnley boss Howe’s radar after he was placed on the transfer list at Elland Road.

The 23-year-old had been looking into extending his current deal, which expires next summer, but was made available for sale by manager Neil Warnock after failing to agree personal terms.

Howe quickly earmarked the former Manchester United trainee and England Under 20 as one of the players he wanted to add to his squad this summer.

O’Neill and Shackell were among the other targets he outlined to new chairmen John Banaszkiewicz and Mike Garlick, and the rest of the board of directors, as well as chief executive Lee Hoos.

The Clarets boss is also understood to be weighing up a move for Sam Vokes.

The striker, who had previously worked with Howe at Bournemouth, impressed during his two-month loan spell from Wolves last season.

However, at the moment it is unclear whether the newly relegated club, who appointed Stale Solbakken as their new manager in the summer, would be willing to part with the target man as they bid to plot an immediate return to the Premier League.

The market in general has so far been typically slow this summer, with little movement between clubs.

But the wheels are expected to get in motion in the run-up to the Clarets’ first training session on July 6.

The only absentee on the first day of pre-season training will be Cameron Howieson, following his call-up to the New Zealand Olympic football squad.

The 17-year-old, who has been named among the 18, will be involved in a three warm-up tour of Asia, playing Japan in Tokyo on July 11, Korea in Seoul on July 14 and United Arab Emirates at a yet-to-be-confirmed venue on July 19 as the ‘Oly Whites’ prepare for London 2012.

Attacking midfielder Howieson has only just completed the first year of his scholarship but has already signed a two-year professional contract, after starring for Burnley’s Under 18s in all competitions - notably as the Clarets reached the FA Youth Cup semi-finals for the first time in over 30 years.

The Dunedin-born teenager went on to make his first team debut towards the end of last season, and on the strength of that earned a surprise call-up to the New Zealand squad in May for friendlies in the United States, against El Salvador in Houston and Honduras in Dallas.

He then stayed with the squad for this month’s Oceania round two qualifiers for group games against Fiji, Papua New Guinea and host country the Solomon Islands.

Howieson came off the bench in the 72nd minute of their 2-2 draw with El Salvador to earn his first senior Kiwis cap.

At the Olympics, New Zealand will face Belarus on July 26 at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena (kick-off 7.45pm), Egypt on July 29 at Old Trafford (kick-off 2.45pm) and Group C favourites Brazil on August 1 at St James Park (kick-off 2.30pm).

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