Burnley facing disadvantage in Roma transfer battle | OneFootball

The Rennes defender is a wanted man this summer after his impressive loan spell at Turf Moor

Highlights

Burnley are said to be facing stiff competition from Roma in their attempts to bring Rennes defender Lorenz Assignon back to the club this summer, with the player's stance handing the Serie A side a clear advantage.

That’s according to Italian reporter Gianluca Di Marzio, who claims that the Italian giants would be the right-back’s preferred destination as it stands.

Di Marzio goes on to say that Scott Parker’s side would like to buy the 24-year-old from the Ligue 1 side, having scored once in his 15 appearances in the Premier League during the previous campaign.

But with the player said to be keen on a switch to the Italian top flight, it could prove to be a tough task to lure the Frenchman to Turf Moor over the next few weeks.

AS Roma join Burnley in race for Rennes defender Lorenz Assignon

In what proved to be a tough season for all involved with the Lancashire side, the performances of Assignon offered a glimmer of hope in the Clarets’ battle against the drop in the top flight.

After making the move from his native France, the 24-year-old immediately made a difference on the right side of the backline for Vincent Kompany’s side in the second half of the season.

After making his first start for the club against Fulham, Assignon wasted no time in making a difference for his new employers, as he set up David Datro Fofana to help his side claw back a two-goal deficit and rescue a point on home soil.

The highlight of his personal campaign will have been the 4-1 victory over fellow strugglers Sheffield United at Bramall Lane, in which he netted his first goal in English football, as well as teeing up Lyle Foster for his side’s third of the afternoon.

Speaking after that game, then-Burnley boss Kompany was full of praise for his January acquisition.

He said: “We’re still in the middle of a relegation fight but if we’re being honest, we had a very good transfer window in the window with Assignon and Esteve joining and Fofana, who’s scored four already.

“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that as they’ve blended in, our performance levels have gone up.

“It’s not just them, it’s also other players adapting to the league, but to have these types of players - who are building momentum for themselves, not just the team - that’s very valuable for us.”

Scott Parker arrival hasn’t halted Lorenz Assignon chase

Ultimately, it wasn’t to be for the Clarets, who dropped back into the Football League after just one season in the top flight.

The Turf Moor outfit have also had to deal with the exit of Kompany over the summer, with the former Manchester City man making the move to Germany to take charge of Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.

After weeks of deliberating, Burnley finally decided on the new man to take them forward earlier in the month, with former Fulham boss Scott Parker [pictured] deemed the man to take them forward, with hopes of anther promotion push in the months to come.

Despite the change in management in Lancashire, the desire for another deal for Assignon remains high, although that task will be made all the harder now they face competition from the Italian side.

Not only that, Burnley can no longer capitalise on the relationship that Kompany and the defender built up last year.