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Nottingham Post
Nottingham Post
Sport
Andrew Dowdeswell

Nottingham Forest suffer transfer blow as Blackpool brace for bids

Nottingham Forest have suffered a blow to their hopes of signing Blackpool winger Josh Bowler this January.

Forest have tracked Bowler throughout the transfer window, reportedly having a third bid rejected last week, according to LancsLive.

However, as Steve Cooper seeks to add attacking weapons to his team as they push to secure a playoff berth in the closing stages of the season, they have suffered a Bowler blow as other rivals are rumoured to have entered the fraw.

As reported by FootballInsider, both Fulham and Bournemouth are lining up offers for the 22-year-old before Monday's 11 pm deadline.

The report states both are expected to submit bids for the former Everton youth player in the next two days and that they are pushing hard to sign him and add to their respective promotion pushes.

Blackpool are thought to be looking at least seven figures for their man, who has also been on Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City's radar.

Bowler has had 27 outings under boss Neil Critchley this campaign, scoring once and providing three assists.

Critchley previously told LancsLive the difference the youngster can make in a game. "What he does is he carries the ball, he can get you from the halfway line to the penalty box in a few seconds so even when you’re defending you know that if they turn the ball over, you’ve got a player who can really hurt teams," he said.

The winger signed a one-year deal last summer, though Blackpool have an option clause to extend his contract by a further season.

Earlier this month, Critchley admitted to the Blackpool Gazette that Bowler's future could be taken out of his hands.

"I spoke to Josh and we had a good chat," he said. "We explained what our thoughts and feelings were and Josh is happy here and is playing really good football.

"He’s of the opinion that what will be will be, but he’s more than happy here and he’s playing fantastic football, so if he continues in that vein, his future might get taken out of our hands and his hands."

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