Dyche claims Man Utd need “a war chest” to sign Burnley star

Sean Dyche admits Burnley may struggle to keep hold of star winger Dwight McNeil, but has warned potential suitors they would require “a war chest” to prize him away from Turf Moor.

The 20-year-old has been linked with a £35million move to Old Trafford after his impressive performances for the Clarets this season.

And Dyche is aware of Burnley’s limitations, and concedes the club are not operating at the same level as the likes of United.

He said: “There’s a reality when players come in, particularly when we’ve developed them as lower-league players for less money or the likes of Dwight McNeil.

“At some point those players, not all of them, but some of them get to a point where the club will sell them.

“Just by the natural economics they’re going to go ‘well, OK, what did we bring that player in for and what’s the offer?’. The difference is that offer is now stretched because we don’t actually need the money.

“In the past, we always had to do certain things. Now we don’t have to do them because we’re in a very strong financial position.

“Keano [Michael Keane] went [to Everton] and it was a case of we can’t refuse that money. Now we can. That’s the difference, although the basic principle is still there.

“If a player does so, so well and enough big interest comes from the top of the market, the chances are at some point that situation breaks and that player goes.

“It’s part of the reality of the club, we’re not giants in the Premier League. We can’t pay the wages that other clubs pay and some of the numbers that these players get are astronomical. They’re miles above what we can pay.

“When that moment comes, I have to factor that in a little bit as well and say ‘look, this is a chance for them to go and get whatever that may be and we can’t compete with that’.

“The business comes first, of course, but there’s also a bit of moral fibre there and we can’t stop a player from having that opportunity.

“But I can assure you it will only happen if the numbers are correct. The numbers now in our world are high and we’re in a position to say no, we don’t need to sell anyone.

“So if anyone wants to come for any of our players, they had better have a war chest.”