Burnley splash out record fee for Belgian star Steven Defour

London (AFP) – Belgian international midfielder Steven Defour became Premier League newboys Burnley’s record signing on Tuesday with the English club spending a reported £7.5million (8.6m euros, $9.7m) to lure him away from Anderlecht. The 28-year-old — capped 46 times and played for Belgium at the 2014 World Cup — signed a three-year contract and his fee eclipsed the £6m paid for striker Andre Gray last year. “I hope I can bring my experience to the team and the club to stay in the Premier League,” said Defour. “I’m looking forward to every game. The atmosphere around the league is

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The 28-year-old — capped 46 times and played for Belgium at the 2014 World Cup — signed a three-year contract and his fee eclipsed the £6m paid for striker Andre Gray last year.

“I hope I can bring my experience to the team and the club to stay in the Premier League,” said Defour.

“I’m looking forward to every game. The atmosphere around the league is fantastic and everyone across the world has seen the Premier League, so I am very proud to be a part of that. It is a new challenge for me, but I like that.

“It has been a long few weeks, but I am very happy to be here.

“When I knew that Burnley was interested, I took some time to look into the club and I saw some interesting stuff.

“I also called a friend of mine who plays at Brentford and he told me Burnley was the best team in the Championship and that it would be a really good choice for me.”

Defour, who caused a minor scandal in Belgium infuriating fans of his former club Standard Liege when he signed for rivals Anderlecht from Porto, will bring much needed top level experience to the side, claimed manager Sean Dyche.

“Steven was a target of ours and it’s been a hard deal to do, but we got there in the end,” said Dyche, who guided Burnley to an immediate return to the Premier League after being relegated in the 2014/15 campaign.

“He’s a good player with a depth of experience at international level and also Champions League. Steven is new to the Premier League but has a real thirst and desire to be successful in this campaign.”

Dyche, who has also signed Icelandic international midfielder Johann Berg Gudmundsen, goalkeeper Nick Pope on a permanent basis and taken Liverpool fullback Jon Flanagan on loan, will be looking for Defour to make an immediate impact when they host Liverpool on Saturday after losing 1-0 to Swansea in their opener.

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