Blackburn Rovers: Teenage striker on summer transfer shortlist | OneFootball

Blackburn rovers have shortlisted Larne striker Jack Hastings in this summer transfer window.

Blackburn Rovers have been credited with an interest in Larne striker Jack Hastings.

That is according to Alan Nixon, who claims that the Northern Irishman is among the strikers shortlisted by the Championship club.

The Lancashire side is expected to be busy in this transfer window, as it is John Eustace’s first in charge since joining the club.

The former Birmingham City manager is likely going to want to add a few fresh faces to his squad before the season begins, and it appears as though he could be looking to add a forward to his ranks.

This may not come as a surprise, as Blackburn were heavily reliant on Sammie Szmodics last season to get out of trouble, as he finished the campaign as the club’s top goalscorer with 27 goals.

Rovers will be hoping to keep the 28-year-old at the club through this window, and they could be looking to add someone like Hastings to ease the burden.

Blackburn Rovers shortlist Larne FC striker Jack Hastings

Blackburn Rovers were the 11th-highest scorers in the Championship last season, and that was thanks to Szmodics, who at times single-handedly kept the club above the dotted line.

Eustace will be looking to avoid that in this new season, but with them only having Sam Gallagher, Harry Leonard, and Jack Vale as forward options, it appears Blackburn are looking to add more firepower.

According to Nixon, Blackburn have Hastings on their shortlist of potential summer targets.

Nixon states that Hastings is not on his own, as he is among a number of players the club has shortlisted in this transfer window.

This comes after it was reported by Nixon that Rovers also retain an interest in QPR forward Lyndon Dykes as the club weighs up forward additions.

Jack Hastings’ situation at Larne

Hastings started his career at Linfield FC, but in 2022 he left to join Larne FC and has so far mainly played in their academy set-up.

He has earned a few chances in the senior side, however – his debut coming in the Irish Cup in the 2022/23 season, which was a 32-minute cameo, while the other came last season, which was a 10-minute cameo in the Play-Off Premier League.

Hastings has yet to score for the Northern Irish side, but he has grabbed an assist, which came last season.

Jack Hastings would surely be a signing for the future for Blackburn

It is clear that Blackburn needs to add at least another forward to their ranks in this transfer window.

The club cannot have a repeat of last season, where they were just heavily reliant on one player, so adding a new striker is key.

But if it was going to be Hastings coming into the club, then you would have to presume that while the player could feature for the first team straight away, his arrival is more of a bigger picture.

At 18, it is very hard to have the player trying to make a big impact straight away, so his addition, while giving them another option, would surely be a signing looking more towards the future.

Hastings could well be seen as a long-term replacement for Szmodics but it feels like the teenager has still got a long way to go before he's ready to contribute regularly at Championship level.