Burnley: Sean Dyche 'challenged' by inflated transfer prices

Sean Dyche's Burnley finished second in the Championship last season

Burnley manager Sean Dyche says the Premier League club are being priced out of transfer deals as he looks to strengthen before Monday's deadline.

The Clarets have brought in seven new players since being promoted in April, for a combined total of around £4m.

Dyche believes one deal - Fulham's £11m purchase of striker Ross McCormack - has distorted the transfer market.

Asked if it was harder to sign players now than 12 months ago, he told BBC Radio Lancashire: "Weirdly, yes."

The 43-year-old continued: "We are Premier League now and if you're going for any player, trust me, the value goes up radically from what it was a year ago or even a few months ago when we were in the Championship."

In August 2013, Burnley sold striker Charlie Austin to QPR for a reported fee of around £4m, about a third of what Fulham paid Leeds for McCormack in July.

"The market has changed radically," said Dyche. "If you look at Charlie Austin's price last season, and then you look at what it would be now in the current market, it's massively different in one year.

"The base started with McCormack's deal from Championship side to Championship side. Everyone then raises their expectations.

"If you're selling your house and the bloke down the road gets £50,000 more, you suddenly believe yours is worth a minimum of that, if not more than that. It's similar in the football market."

The former Watford boss added: "The market is at an all-time high. We've got certain financial guidelines that we've got to work to and they're difficult.

"You've seen the spending power of the real deal with Manchester United (breaking the British transfer record to sign Angel di Maria from Real Madrid). We can't get anywhere near that and it's challenging.

"We've been in for a few and it's not just us in for those players. There's Championship clubs who have kept players because they're giving them bigger contracts than we can give them. It's just the reality of being Burnley Football Club and going into this new world."

Burnley began the campaign with Premier League defeats by Chelsea and Swansea, before being knocked out of the League Cup by Championship side Sheffield Wednesday.