Bitter rivals Burnley & Blackburn Rovers in transfer tussle for ex-Sheffield United striker | OneFootball

East Lancashire rivals Blackburn Rovers and Burnley are going head-to-head to sign Ollie McBurnie

Burnley and Blackburn Rovers are set to go head-to-head in January in an attempt to bring Las Palmas striker Oli McBurnie back to England after he left Sheffield United for La Liga in the summer.

That's according to a report from journalist Alan Nixon, who claims that the East Lancashire duo are both in the January market for a new striker, and while Burnley fancy a loan deal, Rovers are also keen on that option too.

Burnley are pushing for automatic promotion this season under the tutelage of Scott Parker, and are currently going great guns in their bid to finish in the top-two, but goals do remain a slight concern for the Clarets.

It's a similar story for Blackburn too, whose tendency to win games by a single goal came back to bite them on Saturday when they were on the wrong end of a 1-0 scoreline against Millwall on Saturday - a result which highlighted their need for additional firepower.

Since swapping England for the Canary Islands in the summer, McBurnie has become a bit-part player for Las Palmas, and could well view a move back to England as a chance to resurrect his career.

That's in stark contrast to what Nixon suggests though, as he claims that McBurnie is settled with the Island club, so the thought of more upheaval to return to the Championship may not appeal to him.

Such a feeling doesn't look set to deter East Lancashire duo Burnley and Blackburn though, who are both reportedly eyeing up loan deals in January in a bid to bolster their forward lines

McBurnie only moved to Las Palmas in the summer after his Sheffield United contract expired, so for him to return to the Championship, he'd have to trade top-flight football to ply his trade in the second tier again.

Burnley and Blackburn Rovers are looking for a differential in the promotion race

Both East Lancashire clubs can say they're a promotion candidate as we approach the midway point of the season, but they both also share a similar issue in the fact neither are prolific.

A lack of goals is maybe a slightly larger issue for Rovers, who don't have the same squad depth as Burnley do, but for both clubs this season, defence has been the bedrock of their success.

January is one final opportunity to add to their squads ahead of the run-in, and a player like McBurnie really could make all the difference in the second half of the season.

His tendency to chip in with big goals could be huge in deciding who finishes where in May, but he may need some convincing to leave foreign shores to return to the country of his birth.