CLARETS chief Sean Dyche would be ‘very surprised’ if Danny Ings choose to sign for Real Sociedad, despite reports the 22-year-old spent the weekend in Spain talking to the La Liga club.

Ings is free to talk terms with clubs in Europe, with his contract set to expire this summer, and David Moyes has admitted he is keen to take the England Under-21 striker to San Sebastián.

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If Ings did sign a pre-contract agreement to move to Sociedad in the summer it would be a disaster for the Clarets, with Fifa compensation rules stating they would get €90,000 for each season he spent at the club under the age of 21.

That would mean Burnley getting just €270,000, or £200,000 for his services.

Liverpool are also keen to take Ings to Anfield in the summer, although he can’t talk to British clubs about a move until the summer.

Should he sign for a domestic rival the fee would either be agreed by the two clubs, or set by a tribunal if no agreement can be reached, and the Clarets would be looking at a return in the millions of pounds.

Dyche believes Ings should stay in the Premier League for the good of his development, and snub a move to La Liga.

“I’d be very surprised if that was the path they chose to go down,” the Burnley boss told Goals on Sunday of the possibility of Ings signing for Sociedad.

“They have a chance and a right now, players and their agents, to work how they do, it’s how the rules are.

“I think we all know his development needs to continue and that’s the Premier League, the middle of La Liga is no use to a young player I don’t personally think. It’s a great standard but I think he’s better than that, I think he’s top end of the Premier League.”

Ings was photographed over the weekend arriving at Blackpool Airport and jetting off to Spain to reportedly meet Moyes and officials from the Basque Country club.

Asked if he was disappointed that his top scorer, with nine Premier League goals, hadn’t been more discreet about the trip, Dyche said: “You can’t be nowadays, it’s impossible.

“It’s impossible to be discreet about anything.

“It’s the reality of the business. The power is often with players and agents now. I think there’s suitors for him in the Premier League, I think everyone knows that.

“We’re his immediate suitors, he’s playing well, he’s going about his business well. We were strong saying he’s not going anywhere and he hasn’t.”

After his performance at Old Trafford on Wednesday, which Dyche described as ‘sensational’, the Clarets manager backed Ings for an England call-up, and yesterday he said he would be surprised if he wasn’t a full international by the summer, while also suggesting that the only reason he would move abroad is for money, with a reported £60,000 a week deal on the table from Sociedad.

“He’d only move abroad at the moment for financial reasons, it’s not for development,” said Dyche.

“His development at the moment is top end of the Premier League, it’s the most powerful league in the world.

“His aspirations as young players should be are to play for their national side and he wants to play for England. By the summer I would be very surprised if he’s not an international footballer, as in the full national squad.

“I think his journey is in the Premier League and I think it’s top end of the Premier League. That’s not doing us down, that’s just the reality of his contract situation and the market we’re in.”

If he does sign for another Premier League team and the fee is set by tribunal Dyche said the club were ‘quite happy’ with that scenario.

He added the Clarets had knocked back ‘substantial offers’ for Ings and were confident a tribunal would set the fee at a ‘good level’.