James Tarkowski wants to leave Burnley after rejecting contract offers last season and this summer; West Ham and Leicester have made failed approaches; 27-year-old has 18 months left on current deal at Turf Moor
Thursday 12 November 2020 12:46, UK
James Tarkowski has said Burnley's contract offer was "nowhere near good enough" to convince him to commit his future to the club.
Burnley turned down three bids for Tarkowski from West Ham, and one from Leicester City, believed to be in excess of £30m in the last transfer window.
The England defender, who is nearing the final 18 months of his contract at Turf Moor, revealed he was not convinced by the offer of a new deal but insisted he would not down tools, despite being unlikely to stay at the club beyond the summer of 2022.
"Burnley offered me a contract near the start of last season, which, for me personally, it was nowhere near what I was going to sign and I think the club understood. And they've come back again this year, and still, for me, it's just not right," he told The Telegraph.
"Finances do matter, but, at this particular stage, whatever path I take I will get financially rewarded so the financial side is not even in my thinking at the moment. It's more about my football."
He added: "We've had two transfer windows now where the club have decided, for whatever reason, that whatever has been offered on the table hasn't been enough and that's fine because I signed a contract for four-and-a-half years. So I won't whinge or not turn up, I just need to deal with it and get on with my football.
"But the longer my contract runs down, I feel I gain the control of my career more than Burnley having the control of it, which is what I feel like I need right now.
"There is nothing I have heard or has been put to me that makes me think there is a scenario in which I would sign a new contract at Burnley. That can change, but currently that is the situation."
