Rovers’ rising prospect Callum Wright has joined Premier League side Leicester City for an undisclosed fee.

The 17-year-old has been linked with a host of top flight clubs in the January transfer window, with former club Everton making the first move to sign the highly-rated attacking midfielder.

Rovers have tried hard to get the talented Wright to commit his future to the club with several contract offers, but former Premier League Champions Leicester have stolen a march on the competition to secure his signature.

He has signed a four year deal with the Foxes.

Rovers’ Academy manager Stuart Jones said: “Ultimately, we did everything we could to try and keep Callum, but the situation was taken out of our hands when Premier League clubs became interested.

“He’s a young player and when Premier League clubs came calling both he and his family were keen to move on.

“I think it reflects well on the quality and standard of players we’re producing at the Academy, and we will continue to develop players for the first team and work hard to keep them at this football club, because this is the ideal environment for young players to develop and progress.

“This has been demonstrated in recent weeks by the club’s commitment in getting a number of players from our Under-23 squad – and most recently John Buckley – to sign new long-term contracts.”

Wright’s former club Everton have made a move to bring him back to Goodison earlier this month, three years on from being released. Tottenham, Hotspur and Stoke City were among the other Premier League clubs to show interest in Wright who was in to the final six months of the two year scholarship he signed in 2016.

He first joined Rovers in 2015 and 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.

Wright, not 18 until May, has also starred for the Under-18s in their run to the FA Youth Cup fifth round and his departure comes just a week before they will look to book a quarter-final place when they face Nottingham Forest at Ewood Park.

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, Joe Grayson, Stefan Mols, Tyler Magloire are other Academy graduates to have agreed deals but Wright has chosen to move to pastures new.