A number of players have arrived at Turf Moor as the Clarets have been busy bolstering their squad in the transfer market, as Parker looks to send a clear message to the rest of the Championship that Burnley aren’t planning on staying long. One of the club’s biggest acquisitions to date is the 25-year-old Belgian international Mike Tresor, whose initial loan move became a permanent one upon the option to make the move permanent, which was worth a reported £16 million. Burnley’s manager, Vincent Kompany, was replaced by Scott Parker after Kompany moved to Bayern Munich.
While these recent additions pledge their futures to Burnley, what about the Clarets players who, should nothing change, are expected to depart the team in the summer?
Examining the eight Burnley players who will be unrestricted free agents in 2025 is Football League World.
Wout Weghorst
Wout Weghorst is a player Burnley supporters have become accustomed to losing since it appears he will depart the team during this transfer window rather than the next.
The large striker, who just finished a successful Euro 2024 campaign, has played for Burnley since January 2022 but has only made 20 appearances for the team. He has spent the majority of his current Clarets contract out on loan at other prestigious teams.
After showcasing his skills for Besiktas, Manchester United, and most recently, Hoffenheim, journalist Alan Nixon on Patreon has now disclosed that the 31-year-old is looking to leave Burnley this summer.
Weghorst’s manager, Abdullah Avci, told Turkish media source Isci Haber via The Burnley Express that he would like to sign him this summer. Burnley may be looking to cash in on Weghorst as he approaches his final year of contract.
Jay Rodriguez
Although he still has a year left on his contract, veteran forward Jay Rodriguez has been a great asset to Burnley Football Club. However, the 2024–2025 campaign may be his final one while wearing a Clarets uniform.
Any rumors that the 34-year-old would be departing Turf Moor this summer were put to rest when he signed a one-year contract extension with the team this summer.
The experienced forward’s role with the team this season is yet unknown, but if it’s not going to be significant, Parker may be bidding the team farewell come summertime.
Johann Berg Gudmundsson
Another player who’s been a fantastic servant to the club, Johann Berg Gudmundsson, has been a rock in Burnley’s midfield for almost a decade.
The Icelandic international has endured multiple niggling injuries during his time with the club, including a serious calf injury in 2021/22 that kept him sidelined for the majority of that season.
Now with just one year remaining on his deal, and fresh off the back of another injury-disrupted 2023/24 campaign, the 33-year-old midfielder may well be embarking on his farewell tour in 2024/25.
However, Burnley fans have had some practice at saying goodbye to Gudmundsson, as it was announced that he would be leaving this summer, before making a sensational return in early July.
Nathan Redmond
Having signed as a free agent last summer, experienced winger Nathan Redmond didn’t have the debut season he would’ve hoped for in 2023/24.
The former Southampton wideman missed the entirety of the second half of last season, after undergoing surgery on what Kompany described as a “freak injury”.
2024/25 has the potential to be a big season for the former England international. However, as a fully fit Redmond in the Championship could well see him become one of the best in the division.
If this is the case, then Burnley do have the option to extend his contract for a further 12 months if they so wish.
Connor Roberts
After signing a four-year deal back in August 2021, Welsh international Connor Roberts is heading into the final year of his Burnley contract in an uncertain position.
The 28-year-old right-back has returned to Turf Moor following his loan spell with Leeds United, that saw the former Swansea City man miss out on Premier League promotion in the play-off final.
Often playing second-fiddle to Archie Gray, Roberts failed to nail down a regular starting role at Elland Road, and now links back up with a Clarets side that has added right-back Shurandy Sambo this summer.
Parker, and indeed the football club, will likely want to give Sambo the best possible chance to make an impact straight away, and that could mean Roberts is left redundant to a backup role once again.
Samuel Bastien
Having joined the club in the summer of 2022, former Belgian youth international Samuel Bastien has not had the impact many expected him to have so far.
In fact, the 27-year-old central midfielder has made an appearance for Burnley since the end of the 2022/23 season, after spending the duration of last term on loan with Turkish side Kasimpasa.
After making just seven appearances in the Turkish Super Lig last season due to injury, Bastien arrives back at Turf Moor likely rusty from his lack of game time.
Therefore, he could lose out on a place in the squad to those with freshly charged batteries, and that could be fatal in terms of his chances of earning an extension with the club next season.
Josh Brownhill
A true Burnley legend, Josh Brownhill has been pulling the strings in the Clarets’ midfield for the last four-and-a-half seasons.
The 28-year-old vice-captain has been a constant presence during a topsy-turvy period in the club’s recent history, having barely missed a league game – whether that be in the Premier League or the Championship – during his Clarets career.
However, with just 12 months remaining on his contract, the club will surely be keen to extend his time at Turf Moor beyond next summer, but there will be no shortage of clubs trying to seduce him with offers the longer it goes without him committing his future to the club.
Michael Obafemi
A player with undoubted ability and potential, but has just not quite been able to show it enough yet, Michael Obafemi is entering what feels like a make-or-break season.
That’s both in terms of his Burnley future, and perhaps his future in the Championship, as the Irish international has not scored more than three goals in all competitions in any of the last two seasons, across three different clubs.
Prior to that, his 12 goals in 33 appearances for the Swans in the 2021/22 campaign highlighted the ability that’s locked in there somewhere, but it seems the key to his potential has been lost.
Now entering the final 12 months of his contract at Turf Moor, the 24-year-old needs to enjoy a resurgent campaign, or else he could be sent to the scrapheap next summer.
