Burnley’s move for West Bromwich Albion star Dara O’Shea could result in a move for Luke McNally as he tumbles down the pecking order at Turf Moor.

With Jordan Beyer, Hjalmar Ekdal, Ameen Al-Dakhil and O’Shea soon to be Burnley’s four supposed options at the back in the Premier League, it has opened the door to a move for Luke McNally. The Republic of Ireland international spent last season on loan at Coventry City after failing to make the grade at Turf Moor, and he did exceptionally well at the CBS Arena in his 19 Championship appearances.

But, alongside the likes of Brooke Norton-Cuffy and Callum Doyle, the Sky Blues’ defence now looks considerably makeshift with their lack of options having all gone back to their parents clubs. But that could change for the Sky Blues given Burnley’s preference to sign O’Shea over the 23-year-old.

Why would a Coventry move for Luke McNally work well?

It begs the question, but obviously the initial attraction for McNally to join Coventry is that he knows the club, the fans and most importantly the backroom staff. He shone in a back three under Mark Robins’ control last season, and was ever so unlucky to lose in the manner that Coventry did at Wembley to Luton.

He is noted for his passing ability, dribbling ability and willingness to bring the ball out from defence to penetrate passing lanes and progress the ball up the pitch. Alongside that, he is aerially proficient in both boxes, offering a goal threat at one end of the pitch and preventing goals at the other. As far as young Championship defenders come, there aren’t many with a higher stock than the Irishman.

The sticking point would be what sort of deal Burnley would be willing to do. O’Shea and Ekdal – should the West Bromwich Albion man sign on at Turf Moor – are Burnley’s oldest defenders at 24 years of age. That leaves a lot of room for development throughout their centre-back ranks, and if they are to send McNally packing, they would ask for a lot of money as per their new business model. Therefore, it could well be a loan that Burnley would administer for the youngster.

What other avenues could Burnley and Coventry explore for Luke McNally?

Another way in which McNally could sign for Coventry, at least permanently, would be in a swap deal. Burnley’s interest in Viktor Gyokeres is well known, though they are embroiled in a transfer tug of war with many other clubs such as Everton, West Ham and Sporting Lisbon.

Burnley, though, have a trump card in McNally. Coventry are said to want in and around the £20million mark in terms of a fee for Gyokeres which would help them bolster their squad elsewhere, though it remains to be seen if anybody would pay that.

However, with McNally likely to be a target for the Sky Blues, it could see a potential future fee for Gyokeres work for both teams. The Clarets could offer somewhere in the region of £12million plus McNally to land the Sweden international, which not only would save them money for other targets, but further bolster their ranks.

Meanwhile, Coventry would be gaining a ready made player to jump straight into their team. Should McNally progress further, he would also command a higher fee than the ‘sum’ Coventry would pick him up for, which would be of great benefit to them in the future.