Burnley look set to enjoy a relatively comfortable end to the season when the campaign resumes, with the Clarets currently sitting in 10th place in the table with nine matches remaining.

Sean Dyche’s side were in a fine run of form ahead of the season being suspended, which saw them move well clear of any potential relegation trouble, and has left them with an outside chance of qualifying for the Europa League for the second time in three seasons.

The Clarets will be hoping that they can maintain their current position in the top half of the table over the last nine matches, but even if they were to finish just inside the bottom half it would still represent another solid campaign for Dyche’s side.

Burnley are not usually a club who spend vast amounts in the transfer market, and given the current circumstances they could be required to become even more shrewd in the market to add to their squad ahead of next season.

Here then, we take a look at the XI Burnley could field next season if the transfer rumours are to be believed…

One of the most crucial things for Burnley in the forthcoming transfer window will be to ensure that Nick Pope remains at the club, with the keeper having been linked with a move away from Turf Moor following his impressive performances over the last few campaigns.

The Clarets sold Tom Heaton to Aston Villa last summer and are reportedly set to allow Joe Hart to leave the club, so hanging onto Pope will be vital and given the current financial uncertainty it could be difficult for them to bring in a replacement were he to leave.

One of the main positions that Dyche is likely to be wanting to strengthen in the next transfer window is right-back, with neither Phil Bardsley, or Matt Lowton managing to fully establish themselves in that position. The Clarets have consistently been linked with a move for Derby County’s Jayden Bogle but are now being linked with Omar Elabdellaoui.

The Olympiacos defender has some Premier League experience having spent time on loan at Hull City in the 2016/17 campaign, but Elabdellaoui’s wages might be an issue for the Clarets and he has also been credited with interest from the likes of Southampton and Leicester City.

Another one of their key players that Burnley will need to ensure they hold onto is James Tarkowski, with the England international having enjoyed another excellent campaign at Turf Moor, and he will be looking to end the season with some further astute performances.

It would be very difficult for Burnley to replace a player with Tarkowski’s ability in the summer, and they could also have to replace Ben Gibson with the defender having spent time training with Middlesbrough, which means they will probably do all they can to keep him.

The other half of Burnley’s reliable defensive partnership is Ben Mee, and the defender has once again quietly and solidly gone about his business over the course of this season, which has helped Dyche’s side continue to be a tough team to break down for opponents.

Mee is not a player who attracts a lot of attention, but he is crucial to the way Dyche’s side set up, and he will likely continue to perform consistently well for the Clarets once again next term.

Dyche is not a manager who likes to make wholesale changes to his defence, and that means he is very unlikely to be looking to replace Charlie Taylor, who has recovered from some injury setbacks to once again be a very key member of the side.

Taylor has previously been linked with a move to Leicester City, were the Foxes to lose Ben Chilwell, but Dyche and Burnley are likely to be very much keen on ensuring that he remains at Turf Moor for the start of next season.

Another area of the squad that Burnley could potentially need to strengthen in the transfer window is in the wide positions, with Jeff Hendrick yet to sign a new deal and being linked with a surprise move to AC Milan, and the Clarets are now being linked with a move for Middlesbrough’s Marcus Tavernier.

Tavernier has demonstrated his potential with some moments of quality for Middlesbrough in the Championship, but it remains to be seen whether he would be ready to make the jump up to the top flight - and given Dyche’s reluctance to throw players into his side too soon he might not be an instant starter, but he would be a valuable option were he to sign.

This would be somewhat of a surprising addition for Burnley, but the Clarets have been linked with a potential move for Liverpool’s Adam Lallana, with the midfielder who is capable of playing out wide or at the heart of midfield, potentially able to add a lot of extra technical quality to Dyche’s side.

Lallana would certainly be an exciting addition for the Clarets and would see Dyche strengthen the options he has at his disposal in the midfield area, although his wages could well prove to be a stumbling block to any potentially deal.

Ashley Westwood has been a very consistent performer for Burnley throughout the season and has managed to form an effective partnership with Cork at the heart of the Clarets midfield, and he should be a very strong contender to remain a key part of the starting lineup next term.

Burnley have also been linked with a move for Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher, but Dyche is not the type of manager to make a lot of changes to his side, so Westwood could still keep his place even if they were to secure a move for Gallagher.

Burnley’s wide options have been boosted by Robbie Brady signing a new deal, but they will very much be focusing attention on ensuring they keep hold of their most creative player in the form of Dwight McNeil.

Dyche’s side would likely find it a huge challenge to replace a player with McNeil’s ability so they will be doing all they can to ensure he remains at Turf Moor for next season, and the winger does know that he is guaranteed game time at Burnley so might decide to stay with the club for another year.

Burnley have a very solid set of options to call upon up front with the Clarets having the likes of Ashley Barnes, Jay Rodriguez and Matej Vydra to call upon, but arguably the one striker guaranteed his place in the side when everyone is fit is Chris Wood.

The striker has once again reached double figures for the campaign and he continues to be a very reliable source of goals for the Clarets, which means he should once again find himself in the starting lineup next term.

This is another unlikely potential signing for Burnley, but the Clarets continue to be linked with a move for Fenerbahce forward Vedat Muriqi, and he would potentially be a very promising addition for the Clarets having shown his quality for both his club and with Kosovo.

Burnley though are well stocked in the forward area, so a move for Muriqi could mean one of their other options potentially leaving the club, and Dyche could decide to just stick with existing options.