Liverpool and Chelsea Interest “Flattering to See” for Burnley Centre Half

Get called up to the England national team, get linked with half the top club in England. At least if you’re a player who’s put his time in at one of the smaller club, like Burnley’s 24-year-old centre half Michael Keane, who made his senior England debut against Germany on Wednesday evening.

He immediately found himself linked to Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City, Everton, and Leicester City and answering questions about a potential move from his current club in the summer. The player, though, says he’s not daydreaming of a move up the table—and especially not down in Leicester’s case.

“It’s flattering to see but I’m focused on Burnley,” he told reporters asking about his future following England’s 1-0 friendly defeat. “We’ve got nine games left in the season and we need to make sure we remain in the league. Still, to see stories like that, it can only mean that you’re playing well.”

There doesn’t seem to be a lot more to it than eager English tabloids linking a new English name to a slew of English clubs, but Keane being a former Manchester United player at least adds interest to the Liverpool links, as the defender failed to make the breakthrough at Old Trafford and moved on for good in 2015.

He’s since impressed at Burnley, but the reality is that a club like Everton is likely more representative of the class of side that would be after him, and the same could be said for Leicester if they rebound and finish ahead of The Clarets who currently sit two points ahead of them in the table.