Burnley fail with bid for Celtic defender Jack Hendry

Exclusive - Burnley have failed with a bid to sign Celtic centre-back Jack Hendry, who has impressed on loan with Belgian side KV Oostende.

Hendry played his way into the Oostende starting lineup in September, scoring on his debut against Mechelen, and he has been a near-permanent fixture in Alexander Blessin's side ever since.

Hendry has impressed in Belgium | VIRGINIE LEFOUR/Getty Images

90min confirmed earlier in January that several Premier League scouts have been keeping a close eye on the 25-year-old this season, and sources have now confirmed that Burnley have made the first move to try sign Hendry.

Celtic are open to doing business and have already planned for his departure by securing the signature of Preston defender Ben Davies on a pre-contract agreement. One stumbling block, however, is that Oostende would also have to agree to cut Hendry's loan short - and that is something they are not currently prepared to do.

Oostende, who currently sit sixth in the Pro League, have the option to sign Hendry permanently at the end of the season, meaning Burnley would have to strike a deal with the Belgian side to convince them to pass on that option.

Sean Dyche has been impressed by Hendry | Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

The Clarets have attempted to negotiate with Oostende but quickly accepted that no deal was possible, putting an end to Burnley's hopes of landing the Scot.

Despite Oostende's determination to keep Hendry in Belgium, 90min understands that fellow English sides Wolves, Brighton, Aston Villa and Bournemouth are all monitoring his progress, while Werder Bremen, Freiburg, AZ Alkmaar, Brondby and Genk are all interested as well.

Interest in Hendry could continue to grow over the coming months as the defender has played his way into Steve Clarke's thoughts for the Scottish national team. Hendry has three Scotland caps to his name but has not represented his country since late 2018, during Alex McLeish's time in charge of the team.


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Source : 90min