The Middlesbrough wideman, 22 next month, was on Coyle's hit-list in January last year, shortly after taking the reins at Turf Moor.

And after Burnley swapped places with Boro last month, with the Clarets promoted to the Premier League the day after Gareth Southgate's side were relegated, Johnson is back on Coyle's radar.

It has been suggested that Burnley have offered what would be a club record £2m., although Boro are believed to want more than double that amount.

Johnson, currently with Stuart Pearce's young lions in Sweden for the UEFA Under 21 Championship, is about to enter the final year of his Riverside contract, and is thought to be keen to stay in the top flight.

Coyle is remaining patient as he looks to secure his first summer signing, with the club also having been in contact with Swansea City for their Trinidad and Tobago international striker Jason Scotland.

Swansea revealed that Burnley made an "official" seven-figure bid on Friday, although Coyle has since explained that there has been no written offer, just a private conversation between Brendan Flood and the Swans chairman Huw Jenkins.

Coyle is working overtime to bolster his squad for the Premier League challenge, and is not panicking as fans clamour for new faces: "We're looking to strengthen every area of the team. We finished last season with 18 players, which would never be enough for a Premier League season.

"Albeit we'll play a lot less games, given that we had 61 last year, but there's a number of players that we'd like to bring in.

"We'll be linked with a number of players but there's no panic – I don't think that I need to sign a player tomorrow.

"It'd be nice if we could and it's the right type, but I will wait until I feel it's the right type for the football club and whether they can help our group, because we know how difficult it is going to be and we have to make sure that it's the right people we bring in.

"If they're the right type, no matter where they're from, it won't be a problem bringing them in."

He firmly believes Burnley's relative lack of financial clout won't be a barrier in bringing in the right players: "What we have to remember, even when we're just looking at it, we were one of the smallest clubs in terms of finances and everything else in the Championship.

"Now, you know the magnitude of the Premier League and what's involved and 'small fry' doesn't even sum it up.

"We'll have the lowest budget by a mile, and I'm understanding of that and I knew that would be the case, but what we have to do is build a long-term plan for the football club, and that's what we've got in place.

"I personally would love to see the chairman and Brendan give me £30m. or £40m. to spend, but that's never going to be the case, so what I have to do is make sure I'm very selective in the ones that we bring to the football club, and, the other thing as well, we have a terrific group and it's important that I bring the right type of player into that group so that involves a lot of background and, again, making sure that financially we get the right type of player."

Johnson and Scotland are clearly in that bracket.
Burnley have made an official bid for Swansea City striker Jason Scotland.

Scotland's agent Mike Berry confirmed the Clarets have made a seven-figure offer for Swansea's 24-goal top-scorer, and revealed Roberto Martinez, who last week finally confirmed his departure from the Liberty Stadium, is "interested" in taking Scotland with him to Wigan.
Swansea have reportedly rejected Burnley's offer, saying the clubs are "miles apart" in their valuation.

Scotland, like Johnson, has one year remaining on his contract, and Jenkins said: "We can confirm that Burnley have expressed an interested in signing Jason Scotland.

"But our valuation for a striker who has finished as our top goal-scorer in the last two seasons and Burnley's valuation is miles apart.
"We came to our valuation because Jason is a full international who has scored 53 goals in the last two seasons for us."

Scotland , 30, signed from St Johnstone for £25,000 two years ago, after playing under Coyle for two years.

Burnley have been also been linked with 29-year-old Nigerian international central defender Rabiu Afolabi.

Afolabi, previously with Standard Liege, Austria Vienna, Napoli and Sochaux, has also been linnked with Aston Villa, Birmingham and Wolves.