Blackburn Rovers transfer talk: Leeds United man wanted, £500k deal, Newcastle plot raid | OneFootball

With their form suffering amid a busy winter schedule, the January transfer window could be a busy one for Blackburn Rovers.

Blackburn are 17th in the Championship this season, and could be drawn into a relegation battle if their form does not improve, having lost the last four matches in a row.

ManagerJon Dahl Tomasson has already urged the club's owner to let him be active in the transfer market this month in order to help the club stay in the Championship, although there are players rumoured to be on their way out Ewood Park as well as in.

Blackburn Rovers reportedly activated Connor O’Riordan's release clause

It appears Blackburn's first transfer of the window has already been decided, with the club activating Connor O'Riordan's release clause to sign the defender from Crewe Alexandra.

It was reported that Blackburn have paid the £500,000 transfer fee to talk to O'Riordan, as Tomasson looks to improve his sides defense moving into the second half of the season.

The 20-year-old is highly rated and has been capped for Ireland u21s already, so could be a shrewd piece of business for Blackburn.

Rovers currently have the second-worse defense in the league, having conceded 48 times in just 26 matches that sees them fliring with relegation down to League One, as they sit stranded in 17th place in the Championship this season.

After becoming the youngest ever player to make a match day squad for Blackburn against Bristol City last month, midfielder Rory Finneran has attracted interest from Premier League club Newcastle United.

Finneran has been with Blackburn since he was eight years old, and is clearly rated highly by the club, given the fact he was included on the bench for the side at just 15 years old last month.

Football Insider has reported that scouts have been sent to Ewood Park to watch the youngster, who is already capped by Ireland u17s. The Magpies are said to be ready to make a bid for the defensive midfielder in January as Newcastle look to add to their squad for the future with this January signing.

Finneran may be tempted to join Newcastle following the success of them bringing players through the academy and into the first team, with Dylan Miley and Sean Longstaff impressing in recent years.

One player who is on a lot of club's radars in January is Charlie Cresswell, with the central defender struggling for game time under Leeds United boss Daniel Farke.

Despite signing a new deal in the summer to keep him at Elland Road until 2027, he has started just one game in the Championship for the Whites this season, and may need to leave the club in order to get game time somewhere else.

Blackburn are one side reportedly interested in the defender, with Alan Nixon linking them with Cresswell, along with Ipswich Town and Middlesbrough.

The interest in the defender could cause a bidding war to ensue in January, although Leeds will be unlikely to let the 21-year-old leave the club for a promotion rival this month.

Cresswell impressed last season on loan at Millwall, and with Farke claiming that "something extraordinary" will have to happen for him to let one of his players go, the Leeds boss will be hoping that the defender can play a key part for the Whites in the second half of he season, in what will be a disappointing thing for Blackburn to hear.