Newcastle United closing in on transfer agreement for Blackburn Rovers player | OneFootball

The Rovers academy is proving itself to be one of the top ones in the EFL.

Blackburn Rovers' next top prospect Rory Finneran has at least one Premier League suitor this summer in the form of Newcastle United.

Producing top young talents has always been a great way of generating money as an EFL club.

Adam Wharton was a brilliant example of what Blackburn's academy system can do. He was bought by Crystal Palace back in January for a reported fee of £18 million, according to journalist Alan Nixon. Rovers may just have another one of these hot talents coming through their ranks again.

Finneran - a Republic of Ireland under-17's international midfielder - became the youngest player to ever play for the club when he came off the bench against Cambridge United at the start of the year, in the FA Cup, replacing Sammie Szmodics when he was just 15 years of age.

The now 16-year-old is very highly regarded across the English game. Rovers have been hoping that they would be able to tie him down to a professional deal before anybody else could, but the advances of others, including the Magpies, could lead to his time at Ewood Park being cut short.

Newcastle United pushing for Rory Finneran deal

Eddie Howe's side are feeling increasingly confident about getting their hands on the Ireland under-17s captain, according to the Northern Echo.

The North East publication have reported that if they manage to get Finneran to come to Newcastle, it would be "a major coup for Newcastle’s academy set-up." United have been pushing particularly hard to get him, as per the Echo.

It is claimed that the midfielder has had plenty of offers from other clubs since turning 16. He is able to leave Rovers and sign a deal somewhere if he wishes, and he did not appear on the list of youth players who have taken up a two-year scholarship at Ewood Park.

Igor Tyjon is one gifted youngster that they have been able to keep hold of. He signed a two-year scholarship deal with Rovers amid interest from Premier League clubs.

Finneran's non-inclusion on the list of those who signed the same type of deal as Tyjon further suggests that his time in Lancashire is looking perilously close to ending.

Blackburn are reportedly planning on integrating him more into the first team group come next season, if he stays. Newcastle want to have Finneran at St James' Park before the start of the 2024/25 campaign.

While the news of Finneran's potential department may be a blow to the Lancashire side, they are fairing better than some may have initially thought in the transfer market.

While Championship top scorer Szmodics is fielding interest from top flight clubs, no formal offers have been made and he is reportedly open to staying and signing a new deal with Blackburn, according to the Lancashire Telegraph.

Tyryhs Dolan is also set to stay at Ewood Park, as per Lancs Telegraph. He is into the final 12 months of his current deal, but no new contract being signed is imminent.

Blackburn Rovers can use this summer to enact change at Ewood Park

Blackburn losing two of their more highly regarded players - Szmodics and Finneran - is on the cards. Long-term, the latter would be more of a hit because he is a player, potentially more so than Wharton, that could command serious money in the future, if he quickly broke into the first team.

Archie Gray's £30 million, plus Joe Rodon - essentially - transfer to Tottenham Hotspur should show just how much a talented Championship teen can go for after they've received regular game-time.

But positives can be taken from these scenarios. Blackburn are proving themselves to be one of the better producers of young talent in the EFL at the moment. This should attract more players with the potential of Finneran to their club, because of the opportunities that they can provide them.

In the case of the full Irish international, they either keep the league's top scorer or bring in an eight-figure fee for someone who's record doesn't suggest that he'll be able to do it again.