Burnley in talks with Manchester United over extending Michael Keane stay

Burnley manager Sean Dyche has confirmed the club remain in talks with Manchester United over extending Michael Keane's loan stay or signing the defender on a permanent deal.

Keane, 21, has become a regular at the heart of Burnley's defence in the absence of Michael Duff but his current loan deal at Turf Moor is due to expire in January.

The centre-half featured for Louis van Gaal's United side in pre-season but failed to win a place in his squad for the 2014/15 term. With first-team opportunities likely to remain scarce should the player return to Old Trafford, Dyche is hoping the Clarets can strike a deal with United and Keane remains with them until at least the end of the season.

"We are just looking at the situation," Dyche told reporters following his side's FA Cup third-round draw with Tottenham Hotspur on Monday 5 January. "That has been ongoing ever since he has been here."

When asked if those talks included the option of a permanent switch, he responded: "There are a couple of situations we have been working on. It depends on if they become available at the right cost base."

Keane made his first league appearance for United during this campaign when he came on as a substitute against Sunderland in the second game of the season but joined Burnley on transfer deadline day a week later.

With Paddy McNair and Tyler Blackett already in United's first team on a regular basis of late, the club have been tipped to pursue a more experienced defensive presence to help address their woes at the back.

Uruguay international Diego Godin and Borussia Dortmund captain Mats Hummels have been linked with moves throughout the first half of the season but moves for the pair seem unlikely to take place in January.