Burnley captain Ben Mee and his central defensive partner James Tarkowski will both "probably move on" at the end of the season, says Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie.
The English centre-halves are out of contract in 2022, and Downie is not expecting any renewals at Turf Moor.
Why have Tarkowski and Mee not signed new deals?
Tarkowski and Mee are two of Burnley's most important players. The two have formed a solid partnership at the back that has helped to keep Sean Dyche's men in the Premier League.
Bearing that in mind, the club will undoubtedly want to keep hold of the duo, but it seems they have other ideas amid heavy interest.
Both players are thought to be on Newcastle United's radar going into January, with the Daily Mirror reporting that the Tyneside outfit are ready to double their salaries.
On top of that, Tarkowski is also thought to be attracting interest from West Ham. According to The Sun, the Hammers will make one final attempt to sign the 29-year-old after failing to land him in the 2020 summer transfer window.
What has Downie said about Tarkowski and Mee?
Caught up in another relegation battle, you would expect Burnley to be reluctant to sell Tarkowski and Mee next month, especially to relegation rivals Newcastle.
Nevertheless, Downie still thinks their exits are inevitable, telling GIVEMESPORT: "It does look as though both players will probably move on come the end of the season.
"They've obviously done terrifically well at Burnley, but it looks as though they are going to let their contracts run out."
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Should Burnley be worried?
Absolutely. Tarkowski and Mee bring so much experience to the side. Together, they have amassed 562 appearances combined for the club, with the former racking up 197 and the latter 365.
In terms of Premier League appearances, that stands at 380, 173 from Tarkowski and 207 from Mee. So not only would the Clarets be losing a lot of experience, but they would also be losing experience at the top level.
Simply put, that is not going to be easy to replace, especially for an outfit like Burnley who do not have the largest of transfer budgets. And what makes matters worse is that they could end up losing both for nothing.
If Burnley are still in the English top flight next season, it would be interesting to see how they get on without Tarkowski and Mee after the two provided that firm pillar from the back for so long. With nothing officially signed off as of now, though, perhaps there could still be some twist and turns yet.