Burnley enter talks with Nottingham Forest to sign Joe Worrall | OneFootball

Burnley are interested in Nottingham Forest defender Joe Worrall.

Burnley have opened talks with Nottingham Forest over a potential deal for Joe Worrall, as Scott Parker looks to add to his options in the centre of defence.

That's according to journalist Pete O'Rourke via Football Insider, who has reported that the Clarets are interested in signing the 27-year-old.

Worrall spent the second half of last season on loan at Turkish club Besiktas, having made just seven appearances in the Premier League for Forest during the first half of the campaign.

He played an important role during Forest's promotion-winning season that saw them reach the top flight, which ended with a victory over Huddersfield Town in the play-off final at Wembley in 2022.

Burnley centre-back Dara O'Shea is attracting interest from Premier League clubs this summer, and it seems as though Parker has lined up Worrall as a possible replacement for the Republic of Ireland international.

Burnley want to strengthen further in defence

Burnley currently have several centre-backs in their squad, but it appears as though new boss Parker intends to make changes to his squad in that area of the pitch, amid rumours that O'Shea is attracting interest from Wolverhampton Wanderers and Brentford.

Luke McNally has also been linked with a move away from the club, having reportedly been targeted by Birmingham City, Stoke City and Bristol City at the start of this month, as per Football Insider.

The Clarets have already brought in Maxime Esteve this summer to bolster their defence, while Jordan Beyer is yet to return from the injury that ruled him out for much of last season.

Hjalmar Ekdal and Ameen Al-Dakhil can provide competition for places, while Hannes Delcroix and CJ Egan-Riley are the other central defenders on Burnley's books, but it would be no surprise to see either of them head out on loan, especially if a deal to sign Worrall is completed.

Parker is not short of options, so he will need to shape his defensive department into one that he feels can help Burnley achieve promotion during the next couple of weeks.

Joe Worrall could prove to be a good signing

While Burnley have plenty of central defenders in their squad already on paper, signing Worrall would add Championship experience to the back line that could be missing if O'Shea leaves the club.

The defender has played plenty of games in the second tier for Forest, and already has a promotion on his CV, so he will know what it would take for Burnley to go up this season.

Not only would Worrall add experience to Burnley's squad, but he would also provide leadership qualities that might be missing if O'Shea departs Turf Moor before the end of the transfer window. His presence could help one or two of the Clarets' younger defenders too.

With top flight experience under his belt, Worrall looks like he could turn out to be a good signing for Burnley, as they look to bounce back to the Premier League at the first time of asking this season.