Burnley manager Sean Dyche has told Danny Ings he needs to stay in the Premier League if he wants to continue developing his game, amid reports the striker is set for discussions with Real Sociedad.
According to the Daily Mail, Ings, who is out of contract with Burnley at the end of the season, has flown to Spain to hold talks with David Moyes about a possible move to the Primera Division club in the summer.
However, with the striker having also been linked with the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham, Dyche, who has accepted his player will be moving on, feels he would be better suited to remaining in England.
"For his development he wants to be in the top end of the Premier League," Dyche told Sky Sports. "It is the most powerful league in the world. His aspirations need to be top end of the Premier League. The middle of La Liga is no use.
"That is not doing us down, it is the reality of the market we are in. If I had seen him play at Manchester United on Wednesday, I would be knocking on the door to try and get him."
Dyche's comments have been echoed by former Burnley player Robbie Blake, who also feels Ings would be better off holding out for a move to a big Premier League club.
"Danny Ings was on fire last season in the Championship and people were wondering whether he could do it in the Premier League," he told talkSPORT. "He's proved that he is a top class player at this level and he scores all sorts of goals.
"It would be a shame if he did go to Real Sociedad in my opinion because it wouldn't further his career. He needs to move on and go to a top team in the Premier League this summer, a club like Liverpool or Tottenham."
Should Ings move to another English club in the summer then Burnley would be due training compensation for the player -- likely to be around three to five million pounds as he is under 24.