Newcastle United look to have completed the signing of Blackburn Rovers youngster Rory Finneran after images of his unveiling were leaked online.
The 16-year-old's move remains subject to confirmation but it looks like Newcastle have won the race for his signature pending on a compensation package. Finneran will arrive at Newcastle after making his senior debut for Blackburn in last season's FA Cup in a 5-2 win over Cambridge.
The Republic of Ireland youth international is a defensive midfielder who should be able to challenge for the first-team at Newcastle within a couple of seasons. Blackburn Rovers director of football Gregg Broughton told the Lancashire Telegraph earlier this year: "Rory is a really, really good footballer and he has very high potential," he explained.
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"He comes from a very good family network. I've had good dialogue with his father over the last six to 12 months.
"Rory is already playing up a year for Ireland. He's made his first-team debut and become the youngest-ever player for Blackburn Rovers. We remain hopeful that Rory will be here.
"We are also not naïve that someone could make a life-changing offer to him and his family that he'll have to consider. That's the reality of British football right now."
But after pictures of a beaming Finnernan appeared online, it now appears that his move to Tyneside is inevitable.
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