Club hopeful on Keane deal

England's Michael Keane (right) in action during a training session at St George's Park, Burton. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday November 8, 2016. See PA story SOCCER England. Photo credit should read: Mike Egerton/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: Use subject to FA restrictions. Editorial use only. Commercial use only with prior written consent of the FA. No editing except cropping.

Keane, who has broken into the England squad after impressing with Burnley in the Premier League, has been linked with a £25m switch to Chelsea, after champions Leicester City had bids up to £15m turned down in the summer.

Keane is contracted to the Clarets until the summer of 2018, but turned down a new deal in the close season.

Garlick, asked if there was still a chance of getting Keane to commit, said: “We want him to stay for the long term, that’s for sure, so we’d like to think so.”

And there wasn’t a chance of him being sold in the summer: “It was never an option in the summer to sell him.

“He is one of our key players and we want to stay up this season. What message would that send to the market on July 1st if we sold one of our best players?”