Vincent Kompany says conversations are ongoing over a new deal for soon-to-be out-of-contract Burnley ace

The 32-year-old is one of two senior pros — alongside Ashley Barnes — who will see their current deals run out in the summer.

The ex-AZ Alkmaar and Charlton Athletic ace has only started a third of the Clarets' games in the Championship this term.

But Kompany, who has now made 17 signings since his appointment as Burnley boss, claims that the 'valuable' Icelandic international is still very much a part of his plans going forward.

"Behind the scenes conversations are always ongoing," confirmed the Championship Manager of the Month for December. "I love working with the player. To be honest I love working with the team I've got now. There is no one who is being pushed out the door or anything.

"In his case, if we find the right deal for him and for us, he's such a valuable player for us. The main thing for me is he keeps performing now, keeps his level, stays fit, which he has done so far, and then, with his quality his football will always do the talking and answer all the questions."

Kompany is a big admirer of Gudmundsson, who clocked up 136 appearances over six seasons in the Premier League, given his versatility, creativity, diligence and experience.

Gudmundsson has been utilised on the left hand side, the right hand side and in the number 10 role, which saw stand-out performances against Bournemouth in the FA Cup and versus Coventry City, in a game-changing display from the bench.

With the Icelander scoring twice, and laying on three more for his team-mates this season, Kompany said: "Johann has always come from 4-2-3-1 Dutch system where the wingers are outside and then they are inside.

"The way they press in Holland, a lot of those teams, you can see it with Erik ten Hag's team, the 4-2-3-1, and those wingers are quite versatile naturally where they go inside and outside quite easily and he fits that profile perfectly.

"His creativity between the lines is something difficult to find and he has a lot of that. Plus, defensively he does a good job for the team as well."

Gudmundsson is slowly getting back to his best after a long line of injuries plagued his career. Kompany is confident that those setbacks are now behind him, which has allowed one of the group's elder statesmen to play with freedom again.

Kompany concluded: "For having been in his situation quite a lot there are stages. There is the stage where you come back and you fear a little bit. He's at the stage now where he doesn't think about it anymore. You can see that and nor do we think about it.

"Hopefully it is behind him and in any event he has already exceeded anything anyone expected of him this season and that's a credit to him, the medical staff, the people he has worked with. He plays with a smile on his face and that's all I can ask for as a coach."