Lancashire

Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Burnley have reached a club-to-club agreement on a loan deal for Benfica midfielder Florentino Luis with conditional obligation to buy.

The Clarets club would pay an initial £1.73m with a further £20.8m due at a later date should the move for the 26-year-old be made permanent.

However, the deal is yet to be formally completed as negotiations remain ongoing with the player over personal terms, and the move is also subject to a medical.

Manager Scott Parker now has to wait to see whether Luis joins for what could eventually be a club record fee.

Luis is a former Portugal Under-21 international who has spent time on loan Monaco and Getafe before returning to play over 100 league games at Benfica.

Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom hopes to sign some reinforcements before Monday's transfer deadline as he reflected on his first year in charge of the club.

Preston remain unbeaten in the Championship with two wins and a draw so far this season as they travel to face Portsmouth on Saturday (15:00 BST).

Heckingbottom, who took over last August with the club lying 23rd and guided them to a 20th-place finish last term, said they need help to compete with the "big clubs".

"We need help if we want to keep competing," he told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"I think we need to do more and need more help, but we're doing it in our way. If it was all about finance then we wouldn't have won our last two games.

"It's about winning games with the tools you've got. It's all about winning and that's got to be our mentality."

Listen to the full interview and more on BBC Sounds.

Burnley are interested in signing Benfica's Florentino Luis, 26, but Marseille and Roma have also shown interest in the Portuguese defensive midfielder this summer. (Sky Sports), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Jack Bridge
Fan writer & commentator

You can feel it, can't you? Something's stirring at Deepdale.

Saturday's 1–0 win over Ipswich wasn't just three points - it was a statement.

Milutin Osmajic, ice-cool from the spot in the 11th minute, made it three goals in three league games. That's the kind of start we as fans dream about – a striker in form.

But this wasn't a smash-and-grab. Ipswich had the ball, sure, but North End had backbone, courage and a defiant character right the way through the team.

A clear indication of the siege mentality that Paul Heckingbottom has spoken so much about over the summer.

Gibson, Hughes and man of the match Jordan Storey were all immense; the whole team put their bodies on the line to secure the win.

It was gritty, disciplined, and exactly what this league demands. As Heckingbottom said post-match, it's the sort of performance that makes you proud to be a Preston fan.

The less said about the second half of the Wrexham game midweek in the EFL Cup, the better; however, the first half was excellent.

The highlight was the debut of new loan signing Lewis Dobbin from Aston Villa.

He's the kind of player who gets you out of your seat. Quick feet, fearless attitude and an eye for goal - his connection with Daniel Jebbison and Alfie Devine was wonderful and hopefully a sign of things to come once Dobbin is up to speed.

Heckingbottom said we needed creativity and attacking flair. Dobbin looks ready to deliver.

Now it's time to turn the page and concentrate on what really matters - the league.

Next up, a trip to Portsmouth. A proper test, a hostile ground, and the kind of fixture that reveals what this Preston side is truly made of.

We'll be looking to put things right after last season's disappointment at Fratton Park, where we fell 3–1 with former Lilywhite Jacob Murphy and ex-Accrington striker Colby Bishop on the scoresheet.

This time, the aim is clear - a stronger performance, a statement on the road, and three points to keep the momentum building.

You can follow every kick with us on BBC Radio Lancashire's Match Day Live — build-up from 14:00 BST, then full commentary with Ross Heaton and me from 15:00.

So, are the good times coming back to Deepdale? It's early days, but there's a calm buzz again.

A striker in form, a defence that digs in, and a manager who knows what he wants.

For the first time in a while, it feels like we're building something and that we have momentum. And as fans, that's all we ask for - hope, fight, and a team that makes us proud.

See you on Saturday. Up the Lilywhites.

Tyrese King
BBC Sport journalist

Burnley boss Scott Parker has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Manchester United at Old Trafford (kick-off 15:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Parker shared there are "no fresh injuries" for his side.

• Players have also improved on form and fitness. He explained: "Some of the lads got minutes during the week and that helps them get up to speed."

• The manager is hopeful about doing "some business" regarding incomings and outgoings but said: "A lot of boxes need to be ticked for us to go into the window."

• He said further: "There will be some players who will leave and getting that game time is essential for them."

• On Manchester United: "We are playing against an exceptional and a historic football club. They have some top quality players, who can change games at any moment. We are under no illusions of the task we have ahead of us."

• Parker believes that Manchester United's shock Grimsby defeat might make them "a bit of a wounded animal" but wouldn't be surprised if there "may be a bit of edginess" to them.

• He says "belief" will be key for his side this weekend, adding: "We need to go there with a real belief about us. Believe in what we are, believe in how we go there with a game plan and try and execute that."

• On Old Trafford's atmosphere: "Of course it's a tough arena, a 70,000 crowd and the stadium itself, along with the magnitude of what Manchester United and Old Trafford is."

Follow all of Burnley's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Image source, Getty Images

The draw has been made for the Carabao Cup third round, with 15 Premier League clubs having made it through or entering at this stage.

There are two all-Premier League ties, while holders Newcastle host League One Bradford City.

Ties will take place across two weeks, beginning on 15 and 22 September.

All the fixtures featuring top-flight sides are shown below in the order they were drawn:

• Port Vale v Arsenal

• Swansea City v Nottingham Forest

• Lincoln City v Chelsea

• Tottenham Hotspur v Doncaster Rovers

• Brentford v Aston Villa

• Huddersfield Town v Manchester City

• Liverpool v Southampton

• Newcastle United v Bradford City

• Wolves v Everton

• Crystal Palace v Millwall

• Burnley v Cardiff City

• Barnsley v Brighton

• Fulham v Cambridge United

See the full draw

Burnley midfielder Aaron Ramsey says he was "absolutely buzzing" to get on the scoresheet after missing the majority of last season with a knee injury.

The 22-year-old netted after just four minutes into his first game back at Turf Moor, having featured in just one league game last season.

The goal helped beat Championship outfit Derby 2-1, ensuring the Clarets' spot in the third round of the Carabao Cup.

Ramsey said: "If you had told me this morning I'd get a goal in my first start back at Turf Moor since the injury, I'd have 100% took it.

"All those hard nights, long days at the training ground, the painful days, it's amazing now to get this.

"I can't really express some of the feelings I've been through every day - the dark days."

Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom says the early exit from the EFL Cup means they can focus on their priority - the Championship.

The Lilywhites suffered a stoppage-time defeat at home to Wrexham in round two at Deepdale on Tuesday night, having led 2-1 after an hour, leaving Heckingbottom frustrated and wishing they had just handed the Red Dragons a walkover win.

He told BBC Radio Lancashire: "I'm frustrated because we wanted to win the game, we've conceded three goals but Jack [Walton] has not had a save to make, we've got a couple of injuries and it's a night I could have probably done without.

"I go home thinking we may as well have just given them a bye."

"I enjoy cup games, not all managers say that," he added. "I like to see what we can do, where it might take you, it's a different prize, but we do treat it differently - the league is the important thing, but you do feel like you miss out when you get knocked out of the cup.

"We have to make sure we use it to our advantage in the league and prepare properly for league games."

Lewis Dobbin came off at half-time on his debut while second-half substitute Milutin Osmajic left the field after just five minutes having suffered a rib injury.

"Dobbin has not had a pre-season we're going to have to work hard with him, diligently over the next few weeks," Heckingbottom said. "Mily should be alright."

Heckingbottom revealed Brad Potts and Will Keane are getting closer to a return but were not yet back in training, though Mads Frokjaer is scheduled to resume training on Thursday.

"We've got to make sure it's a blessing now when we recover well and we capitalise on not having that accumulation of games which we got last season," Heckingbottom added.

"We'll learn, recover now in the next couple of days because from what I've seen of Portsmouth it's going to be a really tough, frantic game down there."

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your views on Tuesday night's EFL Cup match between Burnley and Derby.

Here are some of your comments:

Sam: Mike Tresor back from the wilderness and providing the killer ball in the time of need. Let's hope he doesn't disappear again.

Peter: Back to the pass sideways and backwards of the Kompany era. Not much of a threat between the two goals, but they were very well worked goals. Don't understand why Parker kept Edwards on, he was worse than poor.

Ray: Good workout for the fringe players plus the annual Mike Tresor 10-second cameo with the assist in the winning goal.

Graham: Burnley fielded a scratch team with very little game time amongst most of the players and it showed. A low-key performance demonstrating little urgency but showing some nice touches leading to both goals. A decent, solid performance overall.