Burnley's Dutchman could have joined City.

BURNLEY'S Remco van der Schaaf almost signed for Cardiff City last summer - until he priced himself out of a move from Dutch club Vitesse Arnhem to South Wales.

Holding midfielder van der Schaaf seemed keen on a move to the Bluebirds and even visited the club's Vale of Glamorgan training headquarters, but then left without signing and linked up with Burnley.

It later became clear that van der Schaaf's agent could not agree on improved personal terms for his man.

Burnley snapped him up on a Bosman transfer from Arnhem, but he has played only once, in the opening game - a 4-1 defeat against Sheffield Wednesday.

"I had played all of my career in Holland, but my contract at Vitesse was up last summer and I could have signed another," said van der Schaaf.

"But I needed a new motivation and chose to try elsewhere."

The former Holland Under-21 international, now 29, began his career with Arnhem in 1997 in the first of two spells with the club.

He then spent three years with PSV Eindhoven before rejoining Vitesse in summer 2005.

Van der Schaaf switched to Burnley this season and then revealed that six months of persuasion by manager Owen Coyle convinced him to move to Turf Moor.

"Burnley followed me for a long time and I had a good feeling when I came here originally and spoke to the boss," he said.

"They gave me all the right signals and I was happy to commit."

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EX-CITY TARGET: Remco Van de Schaaf is on the bench for Burnley