Monchi discusses Espanyol's interest in Burnley's Quilindschy Hartman

Espanyol’s sporting director Monchi has admitted Burnley’s Quilindschy Hartman is a player they admire.

It comes amid speculation the La Liga outfit are interested in sanctioning a summer move for the left back, who endured a mixed debut campaign at Turf Moor.

The 24-year-old was in and out of Burnley’s side throughout the campaign as the Clarets suffered relegation back to the Championship.

It’s considered unlikely the left-back will turn out in the second tier, which could pave the way for Hartman to join Burnley’s ‘sister’ club.

Addressing Espanyol’s reported interest, Monchi told TV3: "He's a good player and belongs to a friendly club, but we have more names.”

While Hartman made 23 appearances in league and cup for Burnley last season, it’s fair to say his move to England hasn’t played out as planned thus far.

He started the campaign well and ended the season with five assists to his name, the most of any Burnley player.

But he was dropped in December following a run of poor performances, which came to a head against Fulham when he was publicly criticised by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp, who accused him of showing a lack of effort.

He was left out of Scott Parker’s match day squads altogether for a few weeks, before slowly being re-integrated back into the setup.

He returned to the starting XI for the 0-0 draw against Bournemouth in March and made another five appearances, but was again dropped for the final three games of the season as Lucas Pires returned.

Hartman made it publicly clear when he joined Burnley that he was using the club as a stepping stone to a “bigger” Premier League side. He also spoke of his desire to return to the Netherlands setup ahead of the World Cup, which he did in October, only to be left out of Ronald Koeman’s subsequent squads.