Burnley confirm £7m Millwall transfer as QPR contact 'intelligent' Marti Cifuentes replacement

Burnley have confirmed that striker Zian Flemming is to complete a permanent move from Championship outfit Millwall following the conclusion of the 2024/25 season.

The Clarets achieved promotion to the Premier League via the automatic promotion spots, finishing second and level on points with Champions Leeds United. Burnley closed their season against Millwall at Turf Moor with Scott Parker’s side recording a 3-1 win and ending any Lions play-off hopes.

Burnley achieved their goal of promotion with the help of goals from Flemming, who spent the campaign on loan from Millwall. The 26-year-old registered 12 Championship goals for the side and finished the campaign in good form with nine of those strikes coming after the turn of the year.

Burnley make Millwall loan signing permanent

Flemming did not play against Millwall on the final day of the season due to the parent club rule but his loan to Burnley was known to be a move that came with the obligation to buy. Sometimes those deals hit a snag but that is not the case for Parker’s men.

When confirming their retained list on Monday, Burnley said: “Burnley Football Club’s retained list has been submitted, confirming the permanent signings of four on-loan men’s team players.

“Jaidon Anthony, Marcus Edwards, Bashir Humphreys and Zian Flemming will all join the Club on a permanent basis this summer following their season-long loan spells at Turf Moor.”

Flemming had been targeted by Burnley when the club were in the Premier League and that interest was still present 12 months ago when the Clarets were relegated to the Championship. The South London Press reported that last summer’s transfer came with the obligation to buy the striker for £7 million.

Speaking about Flemming in December, Burnley boss Parker said: “I’m sometimes reluctant to sit in these positions and highlight one individual because I thought, to a man today, everyone was superb. He comes into the team today, new club, new environment, I thought he was superb. He’s got an eye for a goal, real good habits in and around the box. His general play in terms of bringing other people into play was a real catalyst as to why we looked a bit more dominant in that final third. I was really pleased for him.”

QPR hold talks with Pierre Sage

Elsewhere in the Championship, QPR look to be edging closer to finding a managerial replacement for Marti Cifuentes. The head coach remains on gardening leave amid reports of talks with West Brom and a breakdown in relationship with chief executive Christian Nourry.

Former Norwich City manager Johannes Hoff Thorup has emerged as the frontrunner but French outfit L’Equipe have also claimed that the R’s have made contact with ex Lyon man Pierre Sage. Both those managers are currently available for work.

Sage impressed during his time at Lyon in Ligue 1. Speaking about what makes the coach successful, former Lyon player Henrique told TNT Sports: “We talk a lot. When he arrived, he introduced a lot of new things. He makes us look at football in a more intelligent way. He's at the head of the team, he manages everything, but the staff are also very important.

“He brings us a lot of value during the week, particularly with video. These are things that may seem simple, but they make a lot of difference during matches.

“For example, he'll explain the different positions our bodies need to be in to press an opponent or to control the ball in the direction of play. Sometimes he does this by showing us videos from training.“He tells us how to make the decision to go forward or go backwards. These are just details. But we feel it has an impact.

“The other advantage is that the coach is accessible, he talks and takes the time to discuss things with the players. He often takes the initiative to go and talk to the players and tell us what he thinks. That made a big difference when he arrived.”

In other news, QPR dealt £1.7m transfer setback as four first team stars quit Millwall.