Championship side Blackpool will be expected to sanction a permanent move away for winger Josh Bowler this summer if he is unwilling to sign a long-term contract with the club, as per Lancs Live reporter John McDougall.

The 23-year-old has been a shining light for the Seasiders this term, joining last summer on a free transfer from Everton and establishing himself as one of the first names on the teamsheet almost straight away.

Despite taking his time to get in and amongst the goals, he scored six times in eight league matches in a formidable eight-game spell between the latter stages of January and early March, though he was the subject of interest from elsewhere even before then.

Second-tier rivals Nottingham Forest were the side thought to be most heavily pursuing him during the winter window, reportedly launching three bids for his services as Steve Cooper's men failed in their quest to land a wide player, with Millwall's Jed Wallace also said to have been on their radar.

However, they weren't alone in their efforts to land Bowler, with promotion favourites AFC Bournemouth and Fulham also reported to have been monitoring his situation at Bloomfield Road.

The second-tier trio were joined by Premier League outfit Leicester City in the latter stages of February, with the winger only contracted to his current side until this summer, though Neil Critchley's side are likely to trigger an extension on his deal that will see him remain in Lancashire until 2023.

One of those teams could land him this summer though if the price is right, with Lancs Live's McDougall expecting the Seasiders to cash in on one of their prized assets if he doesn't put pen to paper on a long-term agreement in the coming months.

The Verdict:

If Bowler fails to put pen to paper, it would probably be worth moving him on in the summer because although they didn't exactly pay a huge amount to land him, it would be a massive shame if they were to lose him for free.

It's not as if they would be able to fight for any compensation either in the summer of 2023, so it may be time for them to make the sacrifice of cashing in on him in the coming months, potentially allowing them to bring in a replacement and potentially address other areas.

At this stage, Critchley's side aren't in the strongest position at the negotiating table despite the extension option because they won't be able to generate a considerable fee for him with his contract running out in only a year anyway when they trigger the option.

This is why it may be worth the club tying him down to a bumper deal before selling him on for a lot more than they would get for him in the coming months if he doesn't sign a new deal.

Clubs know they would need to fork out a lot more for his services if he did still have two or three years left on his existing terms and considering how closely he was pursued by Forest, it wouldn't be a surprise to see them make a sizeable bid, especially if they win promotion to the top tier with more money likely to be at their disposal in that scenario.