Burnley face Paterson D-Day

The Clarets opened negotiations with the 26-year-old three weeks ago, having shown a willingness to extend his five-year stay at the club.

And those talks are expected to come to a head today, one way or another, as boss Sean Dyche returns from holiday.

The Northern Ireland international forward’s contract expires at the end of this month, and if he is to stay, it will be on reduced terms.

However, I understand the two parties still have some room for manoeuvre before an agreement is struck.

Paterson, who joined the club for an initial £1min the summer of 2008, ended the season as second-top scorer behind Charlie Austin with eight goals, having hit two in the last two games against Wolves and Ipswich.

It was his best season in terms of goals and games played since his first year with the club, which saw him hit 19 in all competitions as Burnley reached the semi-finals of the Carling Cup and won promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs.

Following promotion, Paterson was dogged by injury, with a knee problem forcing him to miss four months of the Premier League season, and he then made only 30 appearances in the next two seasons.