Blackpool confident in League 1 player pursuit

Following their relegation back to League One, Blackpool will be striving for an immediate Championship return but have to navigate themselves through the summer transfer window first.

Naturally, some of the club’s top performers will emerge on the radar of Championship teams and it will be interesting to see if the Seasiders are able to keep hold of the more important squad members.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, returning Blackpool boss Neil Critchley will be working hard with the scouting and recruitment team at Bloomfield Road to identify and assess possible targets.

One player that has been on the club’s radar for quite some time now, and was the subject of a rejected Blackpool bid in January, is Peterborough United midfielder Oliver Norburn.

Who is Peterborough United midfielder and Blackpool target Oliver Norburn?

Spending time in the academies at Chelsea and Leicester City, Norburn’s first extended experience in senior football came with Bristol Rovers in League 2, arriving at the Memorial Ground in 2012.

Going on to feature for the likes of Plymouth Argyle, Macclesfield Town and Tranmere Rovers, the midfielder joined League One club Shrewsbury Town in 2018.

After three years with the Shropshire club, Peterborough, who were Championship-bound in 2021, completed the signing of Norburn and he appeared 36 times during that second tier campaign.

Last season, an injury limited Norburn to just 16 league appearances.

Norburn is also a Grenada international, which he qualifies for through his paternal grandfather.

What is the latest on Blackpool’s pursuit of Peterborough United midfielder Oliver Norburn?

It was reported by the Daily Mail in January that the midfielder intially wanted to move north in the last window for personal reasons and he was keen on a potential move to Blackpool.

However, bids that the Posh received came nowhere near their valuation of the 30-year-old, and subsequently, the midfielder remained at the Weston Homes Stadium and player an important role as Peterborough reached the play-offs.

The Peterborough Telegraph revealed earlier in the month that Norburn was attracting interest from north-west trio, Blackpool, Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic.

The midfielder is set to see his current deal at the Weston Homes Stadium expire in the summer of 2024, meaning Peterborough might opt to cash in over the next few months.

Providing the latest update surrounding Norburn’s future, journalist Darren Witcoop has suggested that Blackpool are currently leading the race over Bolton and are confident that they can get a deal done.