ROVERS remain in negotiations with rising star Callum Wright and his representatives over a new deal at Ewood Park amid growing interest in the talented teenager.

The club are keen to tie down the 17-year-old to his first professional contract with the midfielder having impressed since arriving in East Lancashire in 2015.

Wright’s former club Everton have made a move to bring him back to Goodison, three years on from being released.

A number of other Premier League sides, including Leicester City, Tottenham, Hotspur and Stoke City have been linked with the Liverpudlian who is in to the final six months of the two year scholarship he signed in 2016.

Wright has progressed through the Rovers ranks to become a regular for the Under-23s, having scored on his debut at that level in the 4-0 win over Fulham in September.

That is one of four strikes he has managed for Damien Johnson’s side who are riding high in the Premier League 2 Division Two.

Having agreed to continue as a Category One Academy despite relegation to League One, Rovers have already made moves to securing their rising stars to long-term deals.

Wright’s Under-18 team-mate Dan Butterworth signed his first professional contract in October 2017, while Joe Rankin-Costello, a year their senior, put pen to paper 12 months ago.

Jack Doyle, Connor Thomson, Joe Grayson, Stefan Mols, Tyler Magloire are other Academy graduates to have agreed deals, while a number of those who have had a taste of life in the first-team signed contract extensions.

Andrew Fisher, Ryan Nyambe, Scott Wharton, Matty Platt, Lewis Hardcastle and Willem Tomlinson all committed their futures to the club as Rovers continue to build for the long-term.

Rovers would like Wright, not 18 until May, to be the latest name to add to that list, to avoid losing him for a compensation figure in the summer.

Despite releasing him at the age of 13, Everton are keen on bringing Wright back to the club after establishing himself as one of the country’s brightest talents at Under-18s level.

Everton are looking to strengthen their Under-23 ranks and are said to have made Wright one of their top targets during this window.

But Rovers won’t want to lose one of their brightest young talents and remain in talks over striking a deal.