A former Manchester United star is returning to the Premier League with Burnley after his side were relegated last season.
The Clarets will return to the top flight this season after just one year away, with Scott Parker leading them back to second place in the Championship with a stellar defensive record.
They conceded just 16 goals in 46 matches as they reached 100 points, finishing second only on goal difference after Leeds scored 95 goals to Burnley’s 69.
That hasn’t stopped the club looking to reinforce their defence, however, and they are now on the verge of signing a defender who can play at either centre back or right back, according to a report.
The Athletic suggest Axel Tuanzebe is on the verge of putting pen to paper on a deal to move to Turf Moor from Ipswich, two years after he joined Kieran McKenna’s side.
The now-27-year-old played 37 times for United’s first team after making his way through the academy, before leaving for Ipswich on a permanent basis in 2023.
A former Manchester United star is on the verge of signing for Burnley, according to a report
Axel Tuanzebe joined United at the age of eight and made his way to the first team before exit
Scott Parker led the Clarets back to the Premier League at the first time of asking last season
Tuanzebe, meanwhile, played for Ipswich, wo were relegated to the second tier last term
Tuanzebe, who suffered a bizarre thumb injury last season, joined United at the age of eight. He became the first first-year scholar to captain the first team since Gary Neville, and made his first team debut in January 2017 at the age of 19.
He struggled for first team game time, however, and went on loan five times – three of those spells being at Aston Villa.
The defender first joined Villa in January 2018, but made just five appearances before the end of the season. He did, though, head back to Villa Park for the entirety of the next campaign as Villa were promoted to the Premier League.
After that campaign, he started to play more at United before injuries stared to come into play. He joined Villa again for the 2021-22 season, but was recalled in January.
After that, he spent time at Napoli and Stoke on a temporary basis, before joining Ipswich permanently in the summer of 2023.
Now, though, his contract is up and he is seemingly set to join Burnley as a free agent. Ipswich did offer him a new deal.
He will become the third signing of the summer for the Clarets, who have already secured moves for Quilindschy Hartman from Feyenoord and goalkeeper Max Weiss from Karlsruher in Germany.
