Burnley round-up as key update emerges regarding potential Vitinho return
The latest rumours around Turf Moor as Burnley look to end a seven-game losing streak.
Burnley now find themselves in a precarious situation after Saturday’s defeat to Fulham extended their losing streak to seven matches.
The Clarets had made a promising start to life back in the Premier League but have collapsed more recently, going down 3-2 against the Cottagers at Turf Moor and now finding themselves without a single point since 26th October - when they beat a Wolves side bottom of the table with two points from 16 games, 3-2 away from home.
But we’re not even halfway through the campaign yet, so there’s still time for Scott Parker to turn things around. And one source of relief may be the upcoming January transfer window, which opens in just over two weeks.
With that in mind, here are the latest rumours around Turf Moor.
Vitinho return unlikely
Kyle Walker has been the starter at right-back so far this season, but behind the veteran England international, Oliver Sonne has clocked just 116 Premier League minutes, while Connor Roberts is still out with a long-term knee injury.
With that in mind, it won’t be a surprise for many to see Burnley linked with right-backs in January.
One of them is the Brazilian, Vitinho, who has enjoyed a strong 2025 campaign with Botafogo that’s seen him clock up 60 appearances so far across all competitions, helping his side finish sixth in Serie A, while reaching the last 16 of the Copa Libertadores and Fifa Club World Cup.
Of course, Clarets fans will need no introduction to Vitinho, who spent two years at Turf Moor following his 2022 arrival from Cercle Brugge in Belgium. Now 26, the defender made 80 appearances for Burnley across all competitions - including 32 in the Premier League - registering four goals and seven assists along the way.
It’s been rumoured that Vitinho could return to Lancashire in January, with Everton also understood to be interested as they address their right-back shortage.
However, according to Bolavip, Vitinho would rather remain where he is until after the 2026 World Cup - especially considering his form for Botafogo has seen him get look-ins with the Brazilian national team, who have been drawn in Group C alongside Scotland, Morocco and Haiti at next summer’s tournament.
Sao Paulo have also explored a possible move, but once the World Cup is concluded, Vitinho sees his future back in Europe. For now, however, he doesn’t look like a player who will be able to help Burnley in their current predicament.
Bashir Humphreys attracting Championship interest
It’s been a struggle of a season so far for Bashir Humphreys, who managed just two minutes of Premier League football and two EFL Cup appearances at the start of the campaign, before being sidelined through injury.
Humphreys is expected back at the start of January, but there’s a good chance he’ll be playing his football away from Turf Moor, with Football League World naming Hull City as one of multiple Championship clubs looking to take the England youth international on loan.
Moving to Humberside could prove a profitable route to minutes for Humphreys, who made 29 appearances for the Clarets across all competitions last season while on loan from Chelsea, helping Scott Parker’s men achieve promotion.
But even when fit this season, the 22-year-old centre-back has found himself utterly out of favour, behind the likes of Maxime Esteve, Hjalmar Ekdal and Axel Tuanzebe in the pecking order.
Hull are enjoying a strong season so far, with Saturday’s 3-1 win at Millwall leaving them sixth in the table and well in the mix for a shock promotion.