The Clarets will pay around £500,000 for the 26-year-old and have secured Mears on a three-year deal.

Mears joins the Barclays Premier League newcomers after a spell on loan at Marseille last season and he is the Rams' first signing of the summer.

"We are delighted to get Tyrone," Clarets manager Owen Coyle told the club's website.

"He is a player with real pace and we have been looking for that in the full-back areas.

"He is hungry, still relatively young and desperate to do well."

Coyle added: "He was on loan at Marseille last year and did terrifically well - so much so that they wanted to sign him permanently.

"Fortunately, he wanted to be back in England and we know he will do well here because he has already shown a desire to show everyone that he is a Premier League player. Here at Turf Moor he will get the opportunity."

Mears started out as a trainee with Manchester City but made his name at Preston North End where he spent four years. He left for West Ham United in 2006 then a loan move to Derby in January 2007 was made full time in July that year. He played 48 times for the Rams and went on loan to Marseille last September for the season.

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