Blackburn Rovers have triggered a £500,000 release clause in the contract of Crewe Alexandra defender Connor O’Riordan
Rovers want to make the defender their first signing of the January transfer window and are favourites to do so. Six other clubs, including four from the Championship, are also tracking the 20-year-old.
The Lancashire Telegraph understands Rovers have followed the progress of O’Riordan for a while and made bids to sign him in the summer transfer window.
However, they have now placed a bid of half a million to secure his services, with personal terms to be agreed. They’re described as favourites for his signature with the young defender impressed by the pathway available at Ewood Park.
O’Riordan is a highly rated centre-back with 18 months left on his Crewe contract. He is seen as another rough diamond that Rovers might polish and nurture.
The teenage defender has already made his Republic of Ireland Under-21 debut and is a regular for Crewe in League Two this season.
He is the latest talent to come through their academy and will follow in the footsteps of Harry Pickering by making the switch from red to blue and white halves.
The defender has appeared in almost 50 games for the Railwaymen since making his debut in December 2021. 18 of those appearances have come this season, and he’s also contributed three goals for his team.
O’Riordan is anticipated to hang around the Rovers first-team setup for the rest of the season, hoping to force his way in. Jon Dahl Tomasson has four senior center-back choices, but injuries have limited his options at times.
Rovers carried five centre-backs last year, with Daniel Ayala and Ash Phillips leaving in the summer and only James Hill arriving on loan. The Bournemouth starlet has also been used at right-back with Joe Rankin-Costello on the sidelines.
Venky’s financial issues have been well documented but the club did pay two six-figure fees in the summer for Leopold Wahlstedt and Semir Telalovic.
Chief Executive Steve Waggott said the recruitment team were working on short and long-term deals ahead of the January window. Contract renewals have also been a part of their strategy, tying down Sam Szmodics, Adam Wharton and Harry Pickering, with Dom Hyam likely to follow.
Gregg Broughton has revealed that Rovers will profit from David Raya’s move from Brentford to Arsenal when it becomes permanent next year. The new EFL TV agreement is also expected to improve revenue for the team.
Loan deals are still available for the automobiles in January to assist reinforce the squad. As with the summer, transactions are likely to be ad hoc, depending on the owners.
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