Burnley yet to receive Norwich approach for McCann (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Burnley yet to receive Norwich approach for McCann

10:05am Monday 9th July 2012 in Football By Chris Flanagan, Sports reporter

BURNLEY have received no approach from Norwich City for Chris McCann – but the Canaries are maintaining their interest in the Clarets skipper.

Norwich have been considering a bid for McCann since Chris Hughton replaced Paul Lambert as manager last month and it is understood that the Premier League side remain keen on taking the 24-year-old to Carrow Road.

But the Clarets insisted yesterday that Norwich have not made contact with them or tabled an offer for the midfielder.

Burnley recently made it clear that they do not need to sell any more players this summer following Jay Rodriguez’s £7m exit to Southampton, and they will be eager to hang on to a player who was installed as captain by manager Eddie Howe a year ago.

The one potential complicating factor, though, could be that – as was the case with Rodriguez – McCann is now in the final year of his current contract with the Clarets.

The Irishman signed a new deal at Turf Moor last summer, initially for one year with an option for a further 12 months.

The Clarets took up that option in May but it still means that McCann’s current contract will expire next summer, when he could leave for nothing.

Stoke have also been linked with McCann and Swansea were understood to be seriously considering a £2m move earlier in the summer, although the Welsh club’s situation has since changed following Brendan Rodgers’ move to Liverpool.

Following Rodriguez’s departure Clarets boss Eddie Howe has only had intentions of strengthening his squad for the new season, last week bringing in centre back Jason Shackell from Derby County for £1.1m.

Howe wants to sign a striker, with Wolves target man Sam Vokes on his hit list following a spell on loan at Turf Moor last term, and a midfielder is also on his agenda.

The Clarets may move for Doncaster’s Brian Stock after seeing fellow target Adam Clayton join Huddersfield, while they are also interested in Bournemouth’s Marc Pugh.

Howe had made Shackell his number one priority for the summer but, after having to wait several weeks for Derby to agree to let him go, he is hoping to make swifter additions in the near future.

“We’ve got Jason so targets now shift,” said the Burnley boss.

“Now we want to add a couple more and hopefully we can do that in the coming weeks.

“We had to be patient with Jason and wait to get the deal done, which we were prepared to do, and now hopefully we can move quickly to get some other players in.

“I’m as impatient as the fans are, I want the players in as quickly as possible.

“But I think when you identify targets and you identify the ones you want to bring in, you’ve got to do everything you can to get the right one in, and I think we did that with Jason.”

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