Burnley will step up preparations for their Championship return after being relegated from the Premier League.

The Clarets were relegated for the second time in a row, finishing 19th in the league with 22 points from 38 games.

Nicky Hayen, the 45-year-old who won the Belgian Pro League with Club Brugge two seasons ago and led the club to the Europa League Round of 16 this season, is now in command of the Lancashire club.

It will be interesting to see how Hayen performs in his new post at Burnley, with huge expectations on his shoulders to deliver a promotion drive but having no previous experience managing at the second tier level.

Meanwhile, the future of Zian Flemming, Burnley’s breakout performer in the Premier League last season, remains a significant question. He scored 11 goals in 29 games.

And, following Burnley’s relegation, Brentford had already expressed serious interest in acquiring the 27-year-old and providing the Dutchman with a return to the Premier League.

Nonetheless, no agreement has been reached, and Flemming remains a Burnley player, with the frontman scheduled to play in the Clarets’ Championship campaign at this time.

With Flemming’s future still uncertain, Burnley manager Hayen has provided a transfer update on the situation, with a new twist forming.

Nicky Hayen refuses to rule out Zian Flemming’s Burnley exit.

Burnley fans will be hoping Zian Flemming stays at Turf Moor ahead of their Championship return, but the attacker has expressed his desire to continue playing in the Premier League after getting a taste of it last season.

Meanwhile, new Burnley manager Nicky Hayen has provided an update on Flemming’s future, stating that he ‘hopes’ the forward will stay with the Clarets, but admits the club may accept a bid from a Premier League club if the price is right.

Hayen also stated that he has no reservations about Flemming’s work rate, with the Dutchman likely to participate in pre-season training and then during the Championship season if a top-flight move fails to materialise.

According to the Burnley Express, when asked if Flemming is likely to stay, Hayen responded: “We hope so.

“Zian is similar to Tino [Florentino Luis], in that he focuses entirely on the pitch. Zian is not the type of man who will say, ‘I want to leave Burnley’. He’s working very hard.

“Of course, he wants to advance in his career, but I believe every athlete has a price. He can go if a Premier League club offers him the proper price.

“But as long as that’s not the case, Zian will commit himself even more than 100 per cent to the club and that’s also the things that he shows on the training pitch.”

There was considerable concern among Burnley fans when Flemming did not participate in their recent US pre-season trip, but this was simply extra time off after he became a parent, and he is likely to feature in Sunday’s friendly against Ajax.

Burnley face a major battle to keep Zian Flemming.

Zian Flemming is one of the few Burnley players who emerged from a difficult season with a positive attitude.

To score 11 goals in his first Premier League season, especially in a Clarets side that has struggled to create significantly in the final third all season, was an incredible feat, and there’s no doubt the goals would continue to flow in a much better top-flight outfit with more service.

Burnley’s promotion chances would undoubtedly improve if Flemming remained on the books, but with the player setting his sights on returning to the big time and interest failing to cool, there is still a big battle on to retain his services before the 1st September deadline.

And boss Nicky Hayen has acknowledged this, refusing to completely rule out Flemming’s departure, so those words give you the impression that something is in the works.

The advantage for Burnley is that any sale should result in a profit on the original £7 million amount they paid for him, with those extra finances crucial for their summer transfer window as they seek to rebuild a squad capable of returning to the big time.

While it will be a big blow for the Clarets to lose Flemming, he is deserving of such an opportunity, and many Burnley fans wouldn’t begrudge him leaving given he wants to succeed at the highest level of the game.