"Not convinced" - Bold Burnley FC, Maxime Estève transfer prediction issued amid Everton interest | OneFootball

FLW's Burnley pundit gives his take on the latest news surrounding Maxime Esteve.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Burnley's defence has been outstanding this season, so it is no surprise that one of its key players, Maxime Estève, is attracting interest.

The Frenchman has featured in virtually every minute of league action for the Clarets, and it is David Moyes' Everton who are keen to make him a summer addition.

According to Alan Nixon, Scott Parker's side are understandably reluctant to let the defender go. However, the financial realities of football and the potential absence of Premier League football could see him move on.

Everton's interest stems from the potential sale of their young star, Jarrad Branthwaite. The 22-year-old is expected to command a fee of up to £60 million, with a significant portion of that likely to be reinvested in securing Estève in the sumemr months.

If the Merseyside club decide to pursue their interest, they will need to pay £30 million for his signature, as the Montpellier-born defender still has over four years remaining on his current contract.

It isn't just Everton chasing his signature either, with Crystal Palace keen on signing the centre-back this summer and Tottenham Hotspur reportedly having a €24 million bid late on in the mid-season transfer window turned down.

Maxime Estève urged to stay at Burnley despite Everton's interest

To get a Turf Moor point of view on the interest, Football League World spoke to Clarets fan pundit, Will Lancaster, who believes that the club has a good opportunity to retain the French defender in the upcoming window, but not being promoted would kill that completely.

"I'm not sure it's inevitable that Estève moves on if Burnley go up," said Lancaster.

"Everton, Palace and Tottenham are all more established sides than Burnley, but there's the question of comfort. He is excelling under Scott Parker, and this system suits him well, with Egan-Riley acting as the enforcer among the centre-backs and Estève in the recovery role.

"If he went to Tottenham, he might not get much game time. If he joined Everton, I’m not sure he is a David Moyes-type centre-back, and at Palace, he would be replacing Marc Guéhi, but they are two very different defenders."

Maxime Esteve could benefit from remaining at Turf Moor

Speaking about whether Burnley have the capability to retain Esteve, Will added: "I don't know if it is a sense of blind optimism, but he does genuinely seem to love the club, and he is our best player really.

"I don't know if there would be an inevitability that he is sold. The club have come into so much money, and he is obviously Premier League quality.

"Unless it is a bigger club than those interested. Tottenham are obviously the biggest of the three at the minute, but it is whether he gets game-time.

"He is only young. I think he would benefit from a bit of time in the Premier League. I'm not convinced he would move on if we did go up. If we don't, it is out of the question – he will depart this summer."