Burnley look like they are managing to keep themselves clear of the relegation scrap heading into the remaining matches of the campaign, but there is still work left to do for Sean Dyche’s side.

The Clarets have recovered well from a difficult start to the campaign and managed to give themselves a cushion to the bottom three, but they will still be aware that a couple more wins will be required to make them sure of safety. Burnley are a club that are now expected to survive in the Premier League and they have enough in their squad to do that in the remaining matches.

However, Dyche needs to be given more backing in the summer transfer window, after barely having had any budget to spend this season. The squad needs refreshing somewhat in a few key areas and the new owners will be under scrutiny now to make sure that they are doing the right sort of things to move the Clarets forwards on the field.

Ahead of what will hopefully be a busy summer in the transfer market for Burnley, we take a look at the Clarets’ top 10 most expensive ever signings and take a look at what they are up to now. Click ‘next’ to scroll through the list…

Kicking off this list is Andre Gray, who arrived at Turf Moor in the summer of 2015 from Brentford as the Clarets looked to make a marquee signing to boost their chances of securing a swift return to the top-flight. There is some confusion over the price they paid for him, but a valuation of £6 million seems the most accurate.

Gray was in phenomenal goal-scoring form in the 2015/16 season and he won the Championship’s Player of the Year award having scored 23 goals to help the Clarets to promotion. The following term he netted nine goals in 32 Premier League appearances before leaving for Watford for around £18 million.

He is currently still with the Hornets but could not stop them being relegated last term, and has four goals to his name so far this term at the time of writing.

Next on this list is a player who proved to be very popular amongst Burnley fans, with Steven Defour signed for a then club-record £8 million from Belgian side Anderlecht in the summer of 2016.

The midfielder was a touch of class every time he walked out onto the field at Turf Moor and scored three stunning goals against Hull City, Bristol City and an iconic free-kick at Manchester United. He was not always a starter in his first season, but was brilliant in the first half of the 2017/18 campaign before picking up an injury. Injury issues plagued his 2018/19 campaign and he left the club in August 2019.

The midfielder is now back in his homeland with Mechelen after signing for them from Royal Antwerp in October 2020.

In at eighth place on this list is current Burnley midfielder Josh Brownhill, who was brought into the club in January 2020 from Bristol City for a fee of around £9 million.

Brownhill has slotted in well at Turf Moor and has established himself swiftly as a key performer with his ability to operate out wide on the right-hand side as well as in the middle of the park when required. So far this term he has been an impressive performer making the second-most interceptions in the league at the time of writing.

In at number seven on this list is another midfielder who is still currently having a major impact at Turf Moor. Jack Cork was signed for a second spell with the club in the summer of 2017 from Swansea City, with a fee of £10 million having been reported at the time.

Cork has been an excellent addition for the Clarets and has added some quality to the heart of their midfield that often gets overlooked until he is out of action for a period. The midfielder helped the Clarets qualify for Europe in his first season and has been an important player ever since. At the time of writing, he has made nine league appearances this term having just come back from injury.

In sixth place on this list is another player who is currently in his second spell with the Clarets with Jay Rodriguez having been re-signed from West Brom in the summer of 2019 for a fee of around £10 million.

Rodriguez began his career with the club and was an excellent performer for them before leaving for Southampton. Since his return, in the summer of 2019, he has managed to score 11 goals in all competitions last term and has so far at the time of writing netted one goal and provided two assists in 24 Premier League games this term.

In fifth place on this list is midfielder Jeff Hendrick, who was a very valued member of the squad during his time at Turf Moor after being signed from Derby County for around £10.5 million in the summer of 2016.

Hendrick was not always the most popular player amongst supporters, who often overlooked some of the defensive work he brought to the team when playing largely out of position on the wing or as a number ten. He was a good performer in the 2017/18 season as the Clarets qualified for Europe and helped to keep them up in 2018/19 before helping them to a 10^th place finish last term.

Burnley wanted to keep him last summer, but he decided to let his contract run down and has signed for Newcastle United. The move has not worked out as well as he would have hoped and he is largely used from the bench as the Magpies battle the drop.

Fourth place on this list is another player who is still at Turf Moor and starting to have a major influence for them in the end-of-season run-in. Matej Vydra arrived at Burnley in the summer of 2018 after an impressive 2017/18 campaign with Derby County. It is believed he was signed for around the £11 million mark.

Vydra found life difficult at the start of his time with the club, with Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes Dyche’s go-to pairing upfront meaning he had to bide his time to play. As a result, he managed just one goal in 13 in his first season, before just two goals in 19 the following campaign. There have been rumblings the forward might want a move, but he is currently back in the side and in good form.

Coming in at third place in this list is another player who is currently still at Turf Moor, with Robbie Brady having been signed by the Clarets from Norwich City in January 2017 for a then club-record fee of £13 million.

Brady’s time at Turf Moor got off to a dream start with a stunning free-kick scored against runaway league leaders Chelsea in a 1-1 draw on his home debut. He managed 14 appearances in the second half of the 2016/17 season. The following campaign he was in great form and scored a brilliant goal in a win at Bournemouth before suffering a serious injury that ended his season.

Since then a series of recurring injuries have limited Brady’s impact and he made just 17 appearances in the league last term. At the time of writing, he has made 19 appearances this term scoring one goal and providing one assist.

One player who is currently Burnley’s joint record signing is defender Ben Gibson, who the Clarets paid around £15 million for to Middlesbrough in the summer of 2018.

Gibson was always going to face a massive task to dislodge either one of Ben Mee or James Tarkowski from the starting line-up. He proved to be unable to do that and after being sent off in a Europa League qualifier in Olympiacos his chances were limited. He started in and scored in a 5-1 defeat at home to Everton on Boxing Day 2018, but was hooked early in the game.

He managed just one appearance in both the 2018/19 and 2019/20 campaigns in the league. He has spent this season on loan with Norwich and been an impressive performer for the Canaries in the Championship. However, he has just suffered a season-ending ankle injury. It is expected that he will sign permanently with Norwich in the summer.

Currently, Burnley’s record signing is forward Chris Wood, who is still at Turf Moor and is a massively important player for the Clarets. The New Zealand international was signed by the Clarets for around £15 million from Leeds United in the summer of 2017.

Wood made an immediate impression scoring a late equaliser in a 1-1 draw at Tottenham Hotspur on his debut. He finished the 2017/18 campaign with an impressive ten goals in 24 league games, before firing in the same amount in the 2018/19 season and 13 goals in all competitions that term.

Last season, Wood managed to enjoy an excellent campaign in front of goal firing in 14 league goals in 32 appearances. At the time of writing, he has scored six goals in 24 appearances in the top-flight this term. It has proven to be money well spent by Burnley.