Nottingham Forest Midfielder Henri Lansbury Set for £3.5m Burnley Move

Nottingham Forest midfielder Henri Lansbury has rejected the offer of a new contract and is set to sign for Premier League newcomers Burnley.

According to the Daily Mail, the former Arsenal midfielder has made it clear that he wants to leave and fulfill his Premier League ambitions with the Clarets. Burnley boss Sean Dyche is keen on the midfielder and is said to be readying an offer in the region of £3.5m to bring him to Turf Moor.

Forest manager Stuart Pearce is reluctant to lose another player, after he recently collided with club owner Fawaz Al-Hasawi over the sale of Karl Darlow and Jamaal Lascelles to Newcastle United. The manager has been in a war-of-words with the owner, after it was revealed that he was not consulted before the players were sold to the Tyneside club.

"I am not prepared to fluff things when it comes to what was said and done behind the scenes. Two players were sold against my will. It disappointed me," Pearce said, as quoted by the Daily Mail.

The Championship club is keen to hold on to Lansbury and had offered him a new contract in February, but it is believed that the terms were relatively lower compared to his teammates. He has now informed the manager that he wishes to leave this summer.

The club's owner has spoken of his desire to hold on to Lansbury, and has admitted the contract offer is still on the table, but has left it up to the player to decide his future.

"Clearly he is a talented player who we don't want to lose. He rejected my offer of a new contract earlier this year but that deal remains on the table," Al-Hasawi explained.

"He has two more years to run on his current contract and we hope he will play a huge part for us this season. It is now time for Henri to make his decision."

It is claimed that Pearce has agreed to the sale of the midfielder, but both the clubs are yet to agree on the fee as Forest are holding out for a fee in the region of £5m and the Clarets have offered £3.5m.

Lansbury started out with Arsenal in 1999 when he was a schoolboy and came through the Gunners youth system. After multiple loan spells away from the club, he finally moved to Forest in 2012 on a four-year contract. The 23-year-old midfielder has been impressive for his current employers, scoring 12 goals in 61 appearances from midfield.