The 6ft 3ins Skonto Riga target man joined up with the Clarets on trial on Sunday, with the intention of playing against Partick Thistle tonight and St Johnstone on Wednesday.

And if his efforts sufficiently impress Coyle, he could look to add the 26-year-old to a strikeforce which already boasts the pace of Martin Paterson, the power of Ade Akinbiyi, the craft of Robbie Blake and the raw youth and promise of Jay Rodriguez and Alex MacDonald.

But with Coyle looking to get the ball down and use the wings, Kalninš would give the side an extra aerial threat up front, and he said: "We've actively been looking at players here and there.

"Gatis will join with us until Friday and be involved in both of the games, and we'll assess it from there.

"He's a 6ft-plus striker and just adds a different dimension to what we've got.

"We put an awful lot of crosses into the box and just need someone to get on the end of them.

"He's a big, physical lad, so we'll look at it and see if it's the right type of player for us.

"He's got a terrific scoring record at Skonto Riga and scored two goals last week when they beat Blackpool 4-0 in a friendly, so he knows where the goals are.

"I've been aware of him for some time, but we weren't going to do anything without looking at him in the flesh first-hand, and this week gives us the opportunity to do that.

"As much as we know the attributes he's got, we'll have a look and see if it's conducive to helping us and giving us a different dimension to our play when we need it.

"He's a good, experienced player whose got good years ahead of him. But we need to assess that over this week and that's what we'll look to do.

"It was important we took the time out and not be rushed into it."

Kalninš has a formidable record in front of goal with his club, for whom he has bagged 61 goals in 136 games over the last six years since joining from FK Valmiera.

The 26-year-old is believed to have interested Mark Hughes before he departed the Blackburn Rovers hotseat for Manchester City, but Burnley now appear to be in the driving seat to land the player, who has 16 caps.

Last week, Kalninš showed his qualities against Championship opposition, netting twice for Skonto Riga against Lancashire rivals Blackpool, playing alongside diminutive former Southampton striker Marian Pahars.