BURNLEY are refusing to give in to pressure from Derby County in their attempts to buy Jason Shackell, as manager Sean Dyche steps up efforts to strengthen his squad.

The Rams have improved on their previous £2million offer to make a bid of up to £3m for centre half Shackell, who left Derby to join the Clarets on a four-year deal in the summer of 2012.

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It is understood Burnley have now rejected as many as three bids for the 32-year-old from the iPro Stadium.

They are braced for more, with Derby seemingly reluctant to back off in their attempts to sign a player who was instrumental in Burnley’s promotion season, and kept 10 clean sheets in the Premier League last term.

But earlier in the summer Dyche said he was not prepared to lose anyone else after Danny Ings and Kieran Trippier left for Premier League clubs, and so far the Burnley board have backed up their manager’s wishes.

Instead they are ploughing their efforts into incomings to add to the arrival of right back Matt Lowton and Jelle Vossen, who is still awaiting international clearance but is expected to feature in tomorrow’s friendly at Accrington Stanley because it is a non-competitive game.

Additions before the weekend were unlikely, but Dyche said: “There are a couple of things that are gathering pace but they’re not close as in ‘tomorrow’.

“There are a lot of conversations and a lot of aligning. Clubs can often move someone out and get someone in.

“It’s as simple as it seems half the time, it just gets complex when agents get involved.”

Burnley have been linked with a number of players, including young Everton striker Chris Long, but asked whether there was anything in the speculation Dyche said: “No,” adding: “There are lots of good players who we’ve been linked with, but there’s only reality in some of them.”

But as for departures the message remains the same as last month when the Clarets said any other exits would be on Dyche’s say-so.

There is certainly no desire to sell one of their key players from the last two seasons - and an almost ever-present - to a promotion rival.

Should Shackell want to force the move then it is possible he could make a transfer request, but there is no evidence of that avenue being explored at this stage.

Shackell is currently nursing a calf injury which kept him out of last Friday night’s friendly with Swiss side Etoile Carouge and could also force him to miss the trip to Stanley tomorrow.