Millwall turn down seven-figure bid from Burnley for Zian Flemming

Millwall’s 2022-23 season ended on a bad note on the final day of the campaign when they dropped out of the play-off spots after losing against Blackburn Rovers.

It had been a season full of positives for the Lions, with one of the big ones being the performances of summer recruit Zian Flemming.

The South Bermondsey outfit paid a club-record £1.7 million fee to Dutch outfit Fortuna Sittard for the 24-year-old, and he duly repaid them with 15 goals in his first year in England.

With strong performances though comes transfer interest, and as reported by Football Insider on Thursday, Flemming has been eyed up by Championship winners Burnley, who are looking to strengthen their squad ahead of their Premier League return.

Burnley submit official bid for Zian Flemming

According to The Athletic, Burnley have now followed up on their initial interest of Flemming with a formal bid.

The admiration comes after Flemming enjoyed a stellar initiation to English football after arriving last summer from Fortuna Sittard, scoring 15 goals to propel Millwall to within touching distance of the play-offs.

The report explains that Burnley have amplified their interest recently and are now testing Millwall’s resolve with an outright bid for his services.

Burnley’s bid for Flemming – who holds Premier League ambitions himself per the report – is believed to have fallen short of Millwall’s asking price but they are braced for further bids from the Clarets and interest from elsewhere.

What did Burnley bid for Zian Flemming?

We have somewhat of an idea of the valuation of their offer for Flemming, with Dutch publication Voetbal International claiming that €8 million (£6.9 million) was put on the table by the Clarets and swiftly turned down.

It is expected to take a lot more to prize Flemming away from The Den following his sparkling debut campaign in the Championship, especially as he has three years remaining on his contract, and there’s more than just Millwall to factor in as well.

Per Voetbal International, Flemming’s former club Fortuna Sittard, who he scored 27 times for in 63 outings before securing his move to Millwall, are owed a cut of any transfer profit made by the Lions if the attacker is sold on.

The figure that Sittard are owed is undisclosed, but it will likely mean Millwall ask for a higher price than normal to let him move on to the Premier League.