Stoke City are said to have rejected a £10 million bid for Nathan Collins from Burnley earlier today, with TalkSport reporting that the Clarets have made their move for the youngster. 

Collins is one of the club's most promising young talents after progressing through the academy ranks at the Bet365 Stadium since his arrival from Cherry Orchard in Ireland.

He featured in 27 games across all competitions for Michael O'Neill's side last season as has been linked with a departure for quite some time now.

Burnley have now seemingly made their first advance for his signature after being said to have been interested in the 20-year-old for quite some time now, with the report stating that the Potters have knocked back the offer that is believed to be in the region of £10 million.

Collins has been capped at under-21 level by the Irish national team and is under contract at Stoke until the summer of 2024, underlining the high level of faith that the club has in his talents.

The Verdict 

Burnley will have to significantly up their offer if they are to snare Collins away from the Potters, as £10 million is sure to be well short of where Stoke value their young prospect.

The Irishman is fast developing into one of the most sought after talents in the Football League and as a result of this, I can see him being sold for a lot more than what the Clarets have offered.

He is clearly well thought of by O'Neill and his staff and they won't let him go without getting a fee that reflects not only his value but also his potential to improve over the next few years.

It will be interesting to see if Burnley come back with a revised offer as I think this is a potential transfer saga that could be drawn out for many weeks unless the player makes it clear as to where he wants to be playing his football in the long term.