Scott Parker confirms in-house Burnley FC talks as summer exodus potentially looms | OneFootball

All three players have been influential in the Clarets' promotion bid this season

Burnley manager Scott Parker has provided an update on contract discussions at Turf Moor involving Josh Brownhill, Connor Roberts and Cj Egan-Riley.

The trio have been influential in the Clarets' bid to achieve a first-time promotion back to the Premier League this season for differing reasons, as Burnley's defensive solidity in the Championship has drawn plenty of attention as they find themselves five points behind Sheffield United in the race for the top two.

Speaking to the Burnley Express ahead of Friday night's encounter against play-off hopefuls Sheffield Wednesday at Turf Moor, the 44-year-old has admitted that talks remain ongoing with the goalscoring midfielder and two cogs in the East Lancashire outfit's defensive machine, but hopes that no distractions occur as a result.

Brownhill's situation at Turf Moor is arguably the most high-profile of the three, with the Burnley captain's influence on the team there for all to see, as he leads the way in terms of goals for Parker's side this term, scoring nine times in 29 Championship appearances.

As the recent transfer window drew to a close, it was revealed by Alex Crook that Brentford, Everton and Wolves could have considered a late move for the playmaker, who has also attracted interest from clubs in Italy, France and Turkey over a potential pre-contract agreement.

Furthermore, Leeds United, West Ham, Brighton and Fulham were also said to be interested in Brownhill as he entered the final months of his current contract.

Meanwhile, Roberts is reaching the conclusion of his four-year contract which was penned in the summer of 2021 after joining from Swansea City, although the 29-year-old mainstay has expressed his desire to make a return to South Wales at some point in his career.

Egan-Riley joined the Lancashire side from Manchester City under Vincent Kompany in the summer of 2022, but has found his first source of regular minutes for the club two years down the line, and despite playing a key role in a record-breaking 11 consecutive clean sheets in the second tier, the 22-year-old is also out-of-contract in four months' time.

Parker has admitted that he would like all three to remain at Turf Moor, but doesn't want any speculation to prove distractive at such a crucial stage of the season.

"Some talks are ongoing with those players," he stated.

"I think I'm conscious of obviously getting into real great detail with players in the middle of the season, certainly the young players. But yes, they're players that we want to keep here.

"We want them to be part of it and there's ongoing talks with each of those players. But like I said, probably I don't want to blur that too much with what the job in hand is and defocus them."

Burnley FC, contract situation presents a dilemma for Scott Parker at this moment in time

Of course, the main focus for all connected to the club is making a swift return to the top flight, whether that be in the automatic promotion places or via the play-offs.

Therefore, it's no surprise that the previous promotion winner during his spells in charge of Fulham and AFC Bournemouth hopes to deter some focus away from the situation. But, there is a dilemma that if such uncertainty continues, the aforementioned trio may consider plenty of options in the meantime, giving the Clarets a slight disadvantage when it comes to striking their own agreement.

However, it is clearly evident that talks are underway, and Burnley will hope for a positive outcome concerning all three players.