BURNLEY will not be splashing the cash in a bid to get back among the first division front-runners.

Thirteen players have left Turf Moor this summer as manager Stan Ternent plans a summer facelift.

But Clarets chairman Barry Kilby has revealed Ternent is unlikely to have any funds at his disposal for transfer fees as wages will eat up most of his summer budget.

Kilby said: "We are not going to be paying any transfer fees this summer - it's all about wages for Burnley.

"There will be a massive gene pool of players that have been released this summer and it's a matter of how well we can negotiate with the money we have in our budget.

"We are certainly not alone in this and personally, I will be extremely surprised - other than maybe one or two examples - if there are transfer fees other than Nationwide League to Premiership.

"Supply far, far outstrips demand and I find it hard to see where the money for any transfer fees will come from."

The news is a blow to Ternent, who has cleared the decks for a plethora of summer signings.

But as the canny Clarets chief has proved in the past, he is the master of making a small budget go a long way.

And with over 800 out-of-contract players desperately seeking new deals elsewhere, Ternent must still be confident of landing the right men to beef up his squad for a concerted play-off push next season.

Yet Kilby warned Clarets fans not to hold their breath for any new arrivals for at least another month.

He explained: "There won't be a lot of activity until the third week of June. Until then, contracts have to run out, players like to go away and no-one wants to pay anyone while they are sunning themselves on a beach somewhere.

"From experience, even players that have already been released will be asking their agents to see what's available before committing.

"It's like a game of poker, with players thinking a better hand is just around the corner.

"But we know our strategy and now it's all a case of playing the cards we have correctly."