Fabrizio Romano last night has this evening reported that “two Premier League clubs” have put Maxime Esteve on their shortlist for this summer.
The France U23 centre back signed for Burnley in January and played all 16 Premier League games after that, helping Vincent Kompany’s team to improve but not enough to save them from relegation.
The former Montpellier defender is clearly too good for the Championship, so it looks like his stay with Burnley could be a short one. Teams are gearing up to make a bid for him, and the 22 year old could go for significantly more than the €12m the Clarets paid, allowing them to make a quick buck.
They hold all the power, of course, given he’s only 6 months into his contract, but it feels likely they will be happy to let him move on at the right price as they look to reshape their squad under a new coach to try and prepare to push for promotion once again.
🇫🇷 Maxime Estève, attracting interest for the summer transfer window after Burnley relegation.
France U23 centre back, in shortlist of two Premier League clubs after playing all 16 consecutive games since he joined the club in February. pic.twitter.com/f7By5ZNlNK
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 29, 2024
Chelsea lying in wait with long term interest
Sources have previously told us that Chelsea have had interest in Esteve, and have continued to track him this summer following Burnley’s relegation.
We can’t guarantee that Chelsea are one of the two clubs Romano mentions as our sources are different to his, and we haven’t heard of any interest beyond preliminary interest which has carried over from his time in Ligue 1, but he’s someone who we know is on the radar of the sporting directors, with Laurence Stewart’s time in France meaning he’s been well aware of Esteve for some time.
As it stands, Tosin Adarabioyo looks likely to be signed, and that should be us sorted in central defence. But this is certainly a player we’re aware of and whose future we will be monitoring, whether he stays at Turf Moor or goes elsewhere.
