With nine days to go in the January transfer window, Burnley have made one signing so far, with David Datro Fofana arriving on loan from Chelsea. Fofana could make his debut when Vincent Kompany's side return to action away to Manchester City on 31 January, but the manager will hope to have another new face in the door by then too.
The Clarets are under pressure to make the most of the window and give themselves a chance of mounting a fully-fledged survival push in the second half of the season. They currently sit down in 19th in the Premier League table, five points from safety.
While the club have vowed to remain sensible and avoid overspending in case of relegation, they were also expected to be active this month and adopted an open-minded approach, ready to strengthen any position where the right upgrade is available. And it seems they may have found one at centre-back.
Burnley "working on" deal for Esteve
According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, Burnley are trying to sign Maxime Esteve from Montpellier. The club are now actively "working on a deal" for the defender, who's one of the "main options" on their list.
Romano also mentions that Esteve has now entered the final 18 months of his contract, and the hope at Turf Moor will be that this puts Montpellier under pressure to sell for a favourable price.
Esteve could give Burnley what they need on and off the pitch
Esteve, who's still only 21, made his Ligue 1 debut for Montpellier in the first game of the 2021/22 season, and went on to start 20 more that year. It would have been more had he not been unavailable with a muscle injury from late November to late February.
He would make the line-up for the majority of his team's matches last year too (18), and while he was out of the team at the start of the current campaign, he managed to find a way back in and is now enjoying a run of five straight starts. He's already made 60 appearances for the club overall, and he earned his debut for the France under-21 side in September too.
Montpellier may be 12th in Ligue 1, but they're only two points above the relegation play-off spot in an 18-team league, having only amassed 18 points so far. This means that Esteve knows what it's like to play for a struggling side where he has a lot to do, and that will be important for Burnley in the coming months. He ranked fourth among all under-21 players in Europe's top five leagues last season for interceptions per 90, and as of January 17, he was fourth in the same age group for clearances per 90.
A "special" player in the words of under-23 talent scout Antonio Mango, he'll also hold his teammates to account. After his side lost to a 10-man Strasbourg in February 2023, he demanded that the squad "pull their fingers out", and Kompany may feel this attitude will be an asset in the dressing room.
