Rumour Round-up: Southampton chasing Burnley stopper

The Daily Mirror report Southampton and Aston Villa are the front runners in buying Burnley goalkeeper Tom Heaton.

Southampton are without long-term injury loss Fraser Forster so require goalkeeping cover - especially with some questionable performances from Saints back-up goalkeepers Kelvin Davis and Paulo Gazzaniga.

Heaton was one of the few players to really shine in Burnley's spirited 2014-15 relegation season in the Premier League and was rewarded with his first England national team call up when the Three Lions faced the Republic of Ireland and Slovenia last week, though he didn't get any game minutes.

Burnley struggled for goals last season, but Heaton proved he was more than capable of keeping his team competitive with a string of impressive performances which allowed Sean Dyche's side to have a chance in nicking a point - or in our case at Turf Moor last season - a winner following his save of Dusan Tadic's penalty in Southampton's 1-0 away loss at Burnley.

Rumour rating: 7 - it's a viable option, though I'm sure Burnley would be looking to charge a high price for Heaton's services. I'd be more than happy with this signing. But, would Heaton want to be a benchwarmer once Forster is back from injury? I'm not so sure.