Nottingham Forest and Sunderland dealt transfer blow as teenager snubs 'strong interest'

Nottingham Forest have reportedly missed out on signing Blackburn Rovers youngster Jay Haddow after the teenager agreed a first professional contract with the club despite 'strong interest' from the Reds.

According to our colleagues at Lancs Live, the 18-year-old was the subject of interest from Forest as well as recently promoted Championship side Sunderland. That interest has, though, been answered by the player signing a two-year contract that includes an additional 12-month option to extend the deal until June 2025.

Haddow primarily played for Blackburn's under-18s side last season but did also make nine appearances while playing up an age group with the club's under-23s in Premier League 2. The attacking right-back played the full 90 minutes in a U18 Premier League win for Rovers as well as the entirety of the 3-1 reversal in the Reds' favour during their FA Youth Cup campaign.

Sunderland were said to be particularly keen on the player who joined Blackburn as a 12-year-old after moving to the country from Hong Kong as a child. Harrow made his international debut for Japan's under-19s side at the Maurice Revello Tournament (formerly known as the Toulon Tournament) earlier this summer, coming on as a second-half substitute against Comoros.

The news of Harrow's new contract comes on the same day that Forest agreed to loan teenage right-back Fin Back to League Two side Carlisle United.