Burnley will look for a £25 million fee for Newcastle United and West Ham United target Maxwel Cornet if clubs will not pay his £17.5 million release clause in one installment, according to the Daily Mail. 

The Hammers are said to have turned their attention to Cornet due to ongoing frustration in their pursuit of Eintracht Frankfurt's Phillip Kostic and want to sign him permanently while Newcastle have also been strongly linked.

Lancs Live have claimed that the 25-year-old remains likely to leave Turf Moor before the end of the window following the Clarets' relegation to the Championship.

However, a report from the Daily Mail has outlined that the attacker's £17.5 million release clause must be paid in one installment.

Should any of the chasing clubs try to structure the deal differently, it is understood Burnley will look for a £25 million total fee.

The 25-year-old joined from Olympique Lyon in 2021 and signed a contract with the Clarets that runs until 2026.

He was not part of Vincent Kompany's squad for the season opener against Huddersfield Town on Friday.

The Verdict

It appears Burnley are prepared to stand strong in negotiations for Cornet – with either an upfront fee of £17.5 million or a total fee of £25 million needed to prize him away.

They're well positioned to do that as there are still four years left on his contract at Turf Moor.

Whether that will change as the end of the window closes in remains to be seen but you have to think it would be a boost if the Ivory Coast international was available to feature for Kompany in the Championship this term.

The Clarets have already sold Nathan Collins, Dwight McNeil, and Nick Pope for significant transfer fees this summer while the exits of James Tarkowski, Ben Mee and Wout Weghorst (on loan) will have eased the strain on their wage bill.