'Will be leaving' - Burnley manager's blunt transfer admission amid Leeds United Manuel Benson links

Burnley look set for a busy end to the summer transfer window with head coach Scott Parker insisting players ‘will be leaving’, having left Leeds United-linked Manuel Benson out of his squad for Saturday’s 1-0 defeat against Sunderland.

Parker suffered his first defeat as Burnley boss at the Stadium of Light after Romaine Mundle scored Sunderland’s one and only goal, with a lot made of Burnley’s paper-thin squad. Two goalkeepers and several youngsters were on the bench while Dara O’Shea, Wout Weghorst and Benson were among those left out despite being fully fit.

O’Shea has since joined Ipswich Town in a deal worth £15million, becoming the latest first-team player to move on following the likes of Wilson Odobert, Sander Berge, Arijanet Muric and Anass Zaroury. And Parker has suggested there could be plenty more outgoings to follow before Friday’s deadline.

“It’s a big week for us, of course,” Parker said after Saturday’s defeat. “Everyone at the football club is working tirelessly in both aspects to try and bring some players in and no doubt players will be leaving.

“I’ve said it from the outset, players that don’t want to be at the football club and don’t want to be around it, it’s clear that’s not what we’re going to try and develop here. I want people here who ultimately want to be part of this and this journey and there’s a couple of little bumps along the way.”

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Asked about Benson and a few other notable squad absences, Parker added: “That’s just where they are in terms of their state and how they see it this year, I decided it was probably best that they weren’t involved.”

Benson is one of several attacking targets Leeds have looked at this summer, although the YEP understands club chiefs acknowledge the difficulty of doing business with a direct promotion rival. There is also interest from across the Championship, with Norwich City and Sunderland both linked in recent weeks.

Daniel Farke has been keen to bring two attacking players through the door, with gaps to be filled following the exits of Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter to West Ham and Brighton respectively. Leeds have already welcomed one through the door, confirming Largie Ramazani’s £10m move from UD Almeria late last week, and had Tottenham Hotspur’s Manor Solomon in for medical tests over the weekend as discussions over a season-long loan continue.

That deal is taking longer than usual to get over the line but the YEP understands Solomon’s arrival remains possible and discussions are ongoing. Should the Israeli international join, then Leeds will likely turn focus onto other key positions such as central midfield and full-back ahead of Friday’s deadline.

Bournemouth defender Max Aarons, who snubbed a move to Elland Road last summer, is among the options liked at full-back while recent reports in Germany suggest a move for 1. FC Koln’s Dejan Ljubicic is not completely off the table. Leeds have five days left to conclude any business.