Football
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Danny Ings talks ongoing, Burnley do not need to sell - Sean Dyche

Burnley boss Sean Dyche is confident Danny Ings is not being affected by speculation surrounding his future, and says the club have no financial need to sell the striker.

Ings' performances in his debut Premier League season have reportedly caught the eye of a number of clubs, with Tottenham, Liverpool and Newcastle all having been linked with the 22-year-old.

Dyche insists there have been no enquiries since the transfer window opened, and player, manager and club have all continued to state unequivocally that Ings is going nowhere this month.

But, with the striker out of contract in the summer and having so far declined to sign a new deal, the speculation is certain to continue.

Ings was critical of his own performance despite scoring his sixth goal of the season against QPR on Saturday but, asked if his star player was being affected, Dyche said: "It doesn't look like it, his performances look pretty decent to me.

"He's quite demanding of himself, almost too demanding. I've told him to smile and relax and enjoy what he's doing, and that seems to work with him. His thirst to improve is there for all to see.

"It's an ongoing negotiation, like it is with a lot of players. We get on well with his agent, and that's an important thing as well.

"Everyone knows where it is and that's always been the case. We try and be open and honest in our dealings with players and we've certainly been that with him. Where it takes us, we'll see.

"We're quite secure. The good side of not spending millions and millions of pounds -- we've spent a few quid by Burnley standards, but not by the Premier League market -- is that we're in a good place financially.

"We're not under any questions of any of our players going out of the building. We're looking to recruit ones that can come in and help us to move forward."

Spurs are likely to get another close look at Ings on Wednesday when Burnley visit White Hart Lane for the FA Cup third-round replay, with Dyche not tempted to rest players.

The Clarets moved out of the relegation zone with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over QPR last weekend and face another close rival, Crystal Palace, on Saturday.

Dyche has stuck with broadly the same team all season and named an identical side for six games in a row over Christmas and New Year.

He said: "With the run over Christmas and the amount of games we played there, the same team was operating two and three days apart.

"The team we put out against Tottenham last time was the strongest team we could field because of injury and illness. That will be the same again. It's nothing to do with overthinking the games around us.

"We want to win the game. We've had a nice little run of performances and we've been getting rewards from our performances.

"But the team's not just rolled out, I can assure you. There's a lot of work goes into each performance and a lot of detail to make sure they have the best chance to go and operate again.

"We know the physical stats, the training volume. So if someone we think is really on the edge of their physical capacity, then there'll be a decision to make. So far they've been really good with it."

One player hoping to be given a chance at White Hart Lane will be striker Sam Vokes, who returned from a long-term knee injury last month and scored his first goal against Spurs to earn Burnley the replay.

Vokes was back on the bench against QPR and may have to be patient again as he waits for his first start.

Dyche's main injury worry surrounds captain Jason Shackell, who is still feeling the effects of a calf problem.

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