Burnley have demanded that Aston Villa triple their initial £4 million bid for goalkeeper Tom Heaton, according to the Football Insider.
Villa are looking to add an experienced Premier League keeper to their ranks ahead of the new season and have identified Heaton as the perfect target.
Heaton has been a consistent performer at Turf Moor, resulting in frequent call ups to the England squad in recent years.
Despite all the plaudits he has received, £12 million for a keeper in the final year of his contract could well put off Villa boss Dean Smith.
As club captain, Sean Dyche views Heaton as an integral cog in his well-drilled survival machine, but with adequate cover being provided by both Nick Pope and Joe Hart, his departure is more so sentimental than tactical, as Pope was at one time challenging Heaton for a place in the England squad.
Smith already has three keepers at his disposal, but with neither Jed Steer, Orjan Nyland or Lovre Kalinic having played Premier League football in the past, the boyhood Villa fan is looking to Heaton to provide experience to a dressing room predominantly made up of the same squad who achieved promotion from the Championship.
