Albion will resist any renewed attempt by Burnley to lure away Dale Stephens.

The promotion-chasing Seagulls are determined not to lose any of their star players in the January transfer window.

Burnley are reportedly lining up a fresh bid for Stephens in the New Year.

They had six offers for the midfielder rejected by Albion during the summer transfer window, the last a package worth over £8 million on the final day of trading.

Stephens has settled back into the team after handing in a transfer request as Burnley belatedly stepped up their interest.

Albion also rejected big offers from Newcastle for Anthony Knockaert and from Crystal Palace for Lewis Dunk.

Chairman Tony Bloom said: “It was tougher to keep the squad together in the summer, because that’s when a lot of business happens.

“We are doing really well in the table, so we are not going to sell any players that we do not wish to sell in January.”

The Seagulls are scouring Europe for a possible addition to their strike force. They were represented at Porto’s match against Benfica on Sunday.

They missed out on signing another striker in the summer and the number of forwards available to boss Chris Hughton is set for a further reduction in January with the departure of fringe Dutchman Elvis Manu.

Bloom said: “We were the highest scorers last season. I know our defensive record stands out this season, because we have got the best record by far, but we have scored a decent amount of goals and our strikers are very good.

“But it could be an area that we strengthen in January.”