Exclusive: Burnley Face Fight to Keep Maxime Esteve as West Ham, Everton, and AC Milan Circle

Burnley are braced for a battle to keep defender Maxime Esteve at the club next season, according to SportsBoom sources.

Scott Parker’s Clarets are resigned to the prospect of losing the talented 22-year-old if they fail to secure promotion back to the Premier League.

A number of clubs are eager to secure the services of the influential centre-back, who signed for the Lancashire outfit last summer for over £10million from Montpellier. 

The Clarets are firmly in the Championship promotion race, but know they need to earn promotion to the top flight to fend off interest for the Frenchman. 

SportsBoom understands West Ham and Everton are both plotting to make their move for the defender, who has four years left on the deal he penned less than a year ago at Turf Moor.

Representatives from the Hammers and the Toffees have been to see Esteve, who has been described as a “Rolls Royce”, star at the heart of Burnley’s mean machine defence this season. 

But they could be pipped to the highly-rated defender by Italian club AC Milan.

Milan have also been sniffing around Esteve, with scouts sent to watch him before the current international break.

There was talk of Tottenham Hotspur swooping in with a late bid during the recent transfer window, but interest in North London has since cooled.  

It is expected Burnley will more than double the sum they paid for Esteve last summer. 

A COLOSSUS AT THE BACK

Esteve has played a pivotal part in Burnley’s promotion bid this season. 

The fearsome Clarets’ backline secured a club record 13 straight league clean sheets, where they went an incredible 1,222 minutes without conceding a goal. 

Parker’s watertight defence have earned a phenomenal 28 shut outs this season. 

League leaders Leeds have been scoring goals for fun this term and have over 15 goals more than next best Norwich City, but even they could not get past Esteve and co in their two meetings.