Barnsley react as Blackburn Rovers submit transfer bid - West Brom may have one eye on this | OneFootball

Rovers will have to try a lot harder if they want to prise Reyes Cleary from Oakwell...

Blackburn Rovers have made a pre-transfer window move for Barnsley attacker Reyes Cleary - but they have already been snubbed by the League One side and will have to come back to the table if they want to get a deal done.

The Lancashire outfit have been battling at the wrong end of the table for much of the season, and they currently sit in 19th position in the Championship standings and just five points above the relegation zone.

Injuries have not been kind to head coach Valerien Ismael in all areas of the pitch, with the latest casualties being attacking midfielder Ryoyo Morishita and striker Andri Gudjohnsen, leaving the French coach thin on the ground in the final third in terms of his options.

Rovers are looking to rectify that early on in the transfer window though, but they've already been knocked back for one of their targets.

Blackburn Rovers knocked back in Barnsley bid for Reyes Cleary

According to a report from Alan Nixon via Patreon, Blackburn are in for Barnsley attacker Reyes Cleary, having sent head of football operations Rudy Gestede to watch him in action for the Tykes in their 2-0 defeat at home to Lincoln City on Monday.

And whilst Cleary drew a blank, Rovers were seemingly still left impressed by the 21-year-old, as a 'substantial six-figure' bid was tabled by the Ewood Park outfit after watching him in action.

Barnsley though have already responded in kind, snubbing the transfer bid by Rovers, but the Oakwell hierarchy are waiting on an improved offer from Blackburn, or other teams coming into the mix for Cleary's services.

It has been a whirlwind few months for Cleary since he decided to leave West Brom in the summer, having failed to break through into the first-team at The Hawthorns despite having had a big reputation at youth level - he was once previously wanted by Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund as a teenager thanks to his abilities for Albion's under-18's under-21's.

And West Brom's powers-that-be will be looking on, as through the deal made with Barnsley in the summer due to his age and the fact they offered him a contract, a sell-on clause was agreed with the Tykes, meaning the Midlands side will benefit financially from any Cleary move.

The wide forward made the jump to Barnsley though earlier in 2025, penning an initial three-year contract in South Yorkshire, and whilst he had a slow start to life at Oakwell, Cleary exploded into life in October, and since his first league goal for the Tykes against Wycombe Wanderers, he's found the back of the net five times in League One, as well as notching six assists from the left flank.

His highlight reel has included a goal of the season contender against Bradford City, which was struck from his own half, but his general run of form is seeing admiring glances come from further up the EFL pyramid - and they're not likely to go away anytime soon.

Barnsley will not be short-changed when it comes to Reyes Cleary after Blackburn Rovers offer

Given he spent time out on loan in the National League last season with Hartlepool United whilst still a West Brom player, it's been a quick rise for Cleary, who has probably exceeded his own expectations in the last few months since he took off at Barnsley.

He's clearly always had potential since he was a West Brom youth player, as evidenced by his fantastic goal record, but he's had to be patient for a real chance at an EFL club, and Conor Hourihane is finally giving him that at Barnsley.

Whatever Blackburn put on the table though clearly wasn't enough to tempt Barnsley into accepting though, and the fact it was a six-figure bid is somewhat cheeky, as Cleary's upside appears to be that of a £1 million-plus player - and that asking price is only likely going to grow if he continues to star in League One.

Davis Keillor-Dunn is still Barnsley's talisman, but Cleary has been just as, if not more exciting to watch, but Tykes fans will now be fearing the worst when it comes to trying to hold on to the powerful forward.