Celtic and Rangers have advantage over PL in Burnley FC transfer race | OneFootball

The Clarets could potentially lose any control they have on Josh Brownhill's future in January, with Celtic and Rangers in the mix.

Burnley face a real fight to hold on to Josh Brownhill beyond the end of this season.

They activated an option to extend his contract after the end of the 2023/24 campaign, with this option allowing the Clarets to retain one of their key men for another season.

And they have benefitted from this fairly easy decision, with the player producing in a number of games to help the Lancashire side to secure extra points.

Having proved his worth at Turf Moor during the 2022/23 title-winning season, it's no surprise that he's doing well again this term.

Scoring twice in the club's opening two league games of the campaign, he also struck late to help Scott Parker's men seal a very late winner against Portsmouth back in September.

Also scoring in a 1-0 win against Plymouth Argyle after that, his contributions are making a real difference, and they will be hoping to retain him in the coming years.

At 28, the midfielder is arguably in the peak years of his career now and with Brownhill also having Premier League experience under his belt, he's someone the Clarets would hate to lose for free.

However, they will need to get him tied down to a new deal if they want to retain him, and that may be a more difficult task following the club's relegation back to the Championship.

With Vincent Kompany also leaving, that could be another blow for the Lancashire side in their quest to retain the 28-year-old and tie him down to a long-term deal.

According to TBR Football, they are struggling to agree a new deal with the midfielder at this point, and it remains to be seen whether a breakthrough can be reached anytime soon.

TBR Football have also reported that Premier League trio Brighton and Hove Albion, Fulham and West Ham United are interested in the midfielder, but they aren't alone in this race.

Leeds United are also thought to be interested in the 28-year-old, but journalist Graeme Bailey recently told Leeds United News that the Whites would probably have to be promoted to even be in the mix to recruit Brownhill.

The Clarets' star has attracted interest from abroad too, with Serie A teams Fiorentina, Lazio and Torino eyeing a move for him, as well as clubs from Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

Scottish Premiership giants Celtic and Rangers are named as interested teams in this report, though it has been noted that they may struggle to compete financially with other teams to get a deal over the line for him.

Celtic and Rangers hold advantage in Josh Brownhill race

There are a couple of reasons why Brownhill may not opt to make the move to Glasgow to join one of the two teams.

Reason one is the financial aspect, with other clubs potentially able to offer him more.

He may also want to play in a stronger league than the Scottish Premiership, so a move to the English top tier may be more likely.

What English top-tier teams can't do is offer him a pre-contract deal in January, which is something the Bhoys and the Gers will be able to do.

That could give the latter two a headstart on English teams - and that could prove to be crucial in this race.

Scotland may also be a more attractive destination than Turkey and Saudi - because Brownhill will already be able to speak the language north of the border, it's closer to where he is now and would likely keep him more relevant should be want another move in future.

Brownhill would likely have the chance to play in European competitions if he made the move to either Celtic Park or Ibrox, which could make the two destinations very attractive for the midfielder, who will want to test himself against some of Europe's best teams.

It's definitely a move he should consider.