Stoke City have rejected an opening offer for centre back Nathan Collins from Burnley, The Daily Mirror's David Anderson has reported.

Over the weekend, it was reported by The Sun that Burnley were leading Premier League rivals Arsenal in the race to sign the defender, with Manchester United and Crystal Palace also credited with an interest.

Now it seems as though the Clarets have made their opening move as they look to win that transfer race, although Stoke appear to be standing firm for now at least.

According to this latest update from Anderson, the Potters have rejected a £4.5million bid from Burnley for Collins, as they look to retain the services of the 19-year-old.

It is thought that Stoke do not want to sell Collins during the current market, and would need an offer of at least double this current bid from Burnley to consider selling the teenager.

Collins has already made a total of 44 appearances in all competitions for Stoke, scoring on three occasions.

As things stand, there are still three-and-a-half years remaining on his contract with Stoke, securing his future at the Bet365Stadium until the end of the 2023/24 season.

The Verdict

I do think this is exactly the right stance for Stoke to take in response to this offer from Burnley.

Collins has emerged as an important player for them over the past couple of years, becoming a regular feature for them during the current season.

You therefore feel as though they will want a lot more money than that for him, particularly given how much he could be worth in the future when you consider how long he has remaining in his career, and the level of interest there is in him.

As a result, it is probably not a huge surprise to see Stoke reject this offer, and with plenty of time remaining on his contract, they are under no pressure to sell Collins any time soon.