MICHAEL Keane has put an end to speculation surrounding his immediate future and told Burnley fans: “I’m going nowhere!”, while it has been reported the Clarets have had a bid for Brentford’s James Tarkowski turned down.

The defender is again understood to have been earmarked as a target for Burnley boss Sean Dyche, who is keen to bolster his back line.

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And confirmation from Keane that he intends to stay put will be a further boost to the Clarets chief.

The young centre half is a target for a number of Premier League clubs, with Everton topping his list of admirers as they form a contingency plan for John Stones’ potential exit.

But Keane - a Championship ever-present for Burnley this season - has confirmed that he is not interested in a January move.

Instead he is determined to continue the progress he feels he has made under manager Sean Dyche, and help the club regain their Premier League status.

“I’m really happy here at Burnley and I won’t be going anywhere in January,” he said.

“I want to try and get this club back to the Premier League, like everybody else.

“Everyone in the team, the manager and the fans have been great with me so there’s no reason for me to leave.

“I think I’ve developed a lot here under the gaffer. I’ve had all the experienced players helping me as well. I’m hoping to keep that up and get back in to the Premier League and do it there as well.”

Keane first joined the Clarets on loan from Manchester United in September 2014, with the move being made permanent in the last January window.

Twelve months on, he is building reputation as one of the country’s brightest defensive prospects.

Before the start of the season he was cited by former Old Trafford team-mate Rio Ferdinand as one of the three best young centre backs in the country, along with Stones and Tottenham Hotspur’s Eric Dier.

Former England Under 21 international Keane, who turns 23 next week, has gone one to help Burnley record nine clean sheets this season, alongside Michael Duff and new central defensive partner Ben Mee.

He was top scorer in the early part of the season, with three headers from set pieces in August, and consistency defensive performances have brought him to the attention of top flight teams.

But of the speculation, Keane said: “It’s not distracting. Obviously I see it but I don’t know whether to believe it or not. It’s just one of those things. If it’s true then it can be very flattering, but I’m happy here.

“It’s just speculation - you don’t know whether to believe it or not - but it is nice to see.

“You just take it as a compliment. It just proves that you’re playing well if there are teams coming after you.”

Keane’s reputation was enhanced by another shut-out against an Ipswich side who had won their previous five away games.

“I thought we defended well,” he said. “We went in to the game knowing what to expect. They can be quite brutal at times and the way they press makes it hard for us to play. I don’t think it was a great game for the fans to watch but it was one where we just had to try and grind a result out. We didn’t manage to score but at least we kept a clean sheet.

It wasn’t the best game to show that you can play football but the main thing for the defenders today was to defend well and I believe we did that. I don’t think they had a chance. I think I’ve been doing well on a personal level for a while now so I’m just hoping to keep it up.

“I think I’m defending well consistently now.”