Couple of 'maybes' but no signings imminent, insists Burnley boss Sean Dyche

Four years after having six bids for Stephens turned down, the club have returned for the now 31-year-old, and while nothing is yet concluded, it is believed to be a case of when, rather than if, the deal goes through, with the Bolton-born midfielder out of contract at the end of the season, and slipping down the pecking order at the Amex Stadium.

Dyche is notorious for keeping his cards close to his chest, and said: "We always get names thrown at us, it's not a problem.

"There's a couple of things that are maybes, but not on the cusp."

Brighton boss Graham Potter added: "I haven't heard anything. I've been out training this morning. He's still our player."

Dyche, who has worked without a budget throughout nigh on eight years at the helm at Burnley, is still waiting to hear what the transfer plan is, with just under a fortnight before the deadline: "I'm still not sure on the guidelines from the chairman and the board, I'm waiting on what they want to do.

"It's not new news, it's always been like that, it's always a challenge here.

"Once I get that, can we get these things done? We're still waiting on that."

Dyche insists he is only trying to be honest when describing the difficulties behind landing the first outfield signing of the summer transfer window: "I was trying to be truthful, but people often spin that to positive or negative.

"The truth is the truth. It's always a difficult task, every window has been a massive, massive challenge here, and it continues to be that.

"It's probably heightened with the lockdown situation where we did let players go, when we still had games to do, and we haven't affected that yet.

"It's not new ground, it's always awkward and tough, but, a couple of weeks, let's see what happens.

"It's very rare we're first in to get players, we have to patient, keep our eyes open and our ears to the ground, and hope we can get the players in we think can affect us."

Asked how confident he was of getting players in, Dyche said:

"I am never truly confident. I have spoken about this for many years, it is a particular way that we operate here and it has been challenged.

"I am not truly confident until I see a player in the office signing a form.

"We have even had that go against us by the way, a player literally doing that and then went to another club.

"That can be the complexities.

"I am never overly confident until the moment when a player arrives in this building."