Burnley centre-back CJ Egan-Riley has reportedly agreed to sign for French Ligue 1 side RC Strasbourg.

The Clarets’ bid to remain in the Premier League next season has already been dealt a significant blow with reports that out-of-contract defender Egan-Riley has agreed a five-year deal with the French club.

Strasbourg are run by Chelsea owner Todd Boehly’s BlueCo firm and currently managed by ex-Hull City boss Liam Rosenior.

The former Manchester City youngster played 41 times for Burnley en route to automatic promotion from the Championship this past season. Egan-Riley developed a record-breaking defensive partnership with fellow central defender Maxime Esteve, as Burnley conceded just 16 goals in 46 league outings.

In addition to Egan-Riley’s anticipated departure, Esteve has also recently spoke of his desire to represent a ‘top six’ Premier League club.

The Clarets could also lose goalkeeper James Trafford who was nominated for the Championship’s Player of the Season award after accruing 29 clean sheets. Newcastle United remain keenly interested in the stopper, while Manchester City are understood to have a buyback clause.

As it stands, Burnley could potentially line up on the opening day of the 2025/26 Premier League season without the record-busting triumvirate which oversaw their staggering defensive record. Both Esteve and Trafford each appeared more frequently than Egan-Riley, who himself only missed five matches over the course of the campaign.

talkSPORT and French outlet L’Équipe are both reporting the signing of Egan-Riley with Strasbourg as imminent.

Foreign clubs are allowed to approach players in England who will be out of contract during the six months leading up to their expiry dates. Teams in England are not permitted to do so until 30 days before deals are due to expire.

What have Burnley said about Egan-Riley’s expected exit?

According to the Burnley Express, the club are yet to comment on reports, however chairman Alan Pace has recently discussed the importance of retaining key players.

“I think, first and foremost, that we actually come about this with the intent of keeping a core of this team solid for a long time to come. So I think we've built well and let's see how Scott managed to take them forward and add bits and pieces and turn it into the next version.

“I do not anticipate it will be as busy as last summer, especially, but I certainly hope that we're not as busy as we were a summer ago. But again, some of that's also driven by players and agents and other things that we don't get to control other teams, their desires. But I don't anticipate that we're going to be nearly as busy as what I think we have been in the past.”