Burnley left in chaos as move for Craig Bellamy 'falls through'

Craig Bellamy’s prospective move to Burnley has fallen through, according to Sky Sports.

It was widely expected that the current Wales boss and Burnley’s former assistant would make the move back to Turf Moor to replace Scott Parker, who left the club by mutual consent at the end of April - exactly two months ago today.

Multiple sources reported an agreement had been reached and a compensation package of around £700,000 had been settled.

But Sky Sports News is now reporting the deal is about to collapse, writing on X: “Craig Bellamy's proposed move to Burnley has fallen through, Sky Sports News understands.

“It is understood that the Championship club have turned their attention to other managerial targets, including Steve Cooper and Rob Edwards.”

The report has not been denied to the Burnley Express by sources at the club. No reason has yet been given for Bellamy’s change of heart.

If correct, it would be the second time Bellamy has opted to turn down Burnley, having already been set to perform a U-turn.

The 46-year-old appeared to commit his future to Wales at the start of June - stating he’s going nowhere and will see out the remaining two years of his contract and was excited about the prospect of leading his country to a home Euros.

He did, however, joke about the poor pay during a press conference ahead of their recent friendly against Ghana. He also admitted he “missed” the day-to-day nature of coaching in club football.

Wales FA chief executive Noel Mooney, meanwhile, dropped a major hint only on Tuesday that Bellamy could be about to depart his role.

"Craig has been fantastic for us in terms of the football we play and the energy we have,” he said in an interview with S4C News.

“But of course, we have to be aware of the fact that we are in a huge football industry and that people have different objectives.

“In my opinion, Craig will go on to be a world-class coach. He loves the rhythm and intensity of football on a day-to-day basis, so the problem we have always had with him is the gaps between the international windows.

“He is someone who is full of energy and lives and breathes football. He loves the game, he loves his country, and that shone through very clearly during his time with us - that he loves Welsh football.

“We were always open to the fact that people have personal ambition, that opportunities arise, and sometimes that someone has done something great in an organisation and then another opportunity presents itself.”

Bellamy is known to be well admired by Burnley’s board, having worked as assistant to Vincent Kompany from 2022 to 2024.

He was in the running for the job when Kompany left to join Bayern Munich, but Parker was instead appointed while Bellamy swiftly took over as Wales boss.