BLACKBURN Rovers have insisted they remain confident that Junior Hoilett will soon sign a new contract despite reports suggesting the Canadian could be lured away from Ewood Park by rival interest.

Hoilett has been in talks over a new long-term deal for several months but Steve Kean’s suggestions in early September that the 21-year-old would put pen to paper ‘in the next 24 hours’ proved premature.

Now one of Rovers’ key players, Hoilett is in the last year of his current contract and fans have grown increasingly concerned over the past few weeks about the lack of an announcement over the completion of a new deal.

That anxiety increased over the weekend when reports surfaced linking both Tottenham and Newcastle with a move for the forward, either in January or in the summer.

But Rovers sources continue to insist that Hoilett has agreed to sign a new deal at Ewood, yesterday denying any suggestion that he had turned down the club’s offer.

The club, who say they are unaware of firm interest in the player from elsewhere, remain optimistic that they are close to finalising the contract.

It is understood, though, that negotiations are still ongoing and that there remain some issues to be resolved.

One of the sticking points has been over a potential release clause in the deal, after Rovers lost Phil Jones in the summer when Manchester United activated a similar clause.

Hoilett would be entitled to talk to overseas clubs from January should he not sign a new deal before then, although he could not talk to English clubs until the end of the season.

Even if he ran his contract down, though, Rovers would still be entitled to a fee in the summer under the terms of the Bosman ruling because he is under the age of 23, although any price would likely be less than market value and set by a tribunal.

Chelsea had to pay Manchester City an initial fee of £3.5m, potentially rising to £6.5m, when they signed Daniel Sturridge under similar circumstances in 2009.

Rovers boss Kean flew to Toronto this summer to hold talks with Hoilett’s father, who also acts as the player’s agent, and is eager to secure the emerging talent on a long deal.

Hoilett previously signed a new two-and-half-year contract in February 2010, four months from the end of his original deal, after protracted negotiations and repeated public pleas from former boss Sam Allardyce.

Hoilett arrived at Rovers as a youngster but went on loan to German sides Paderborn and St Pauli before Blackburn secured a work permit for the player at an appeal hearing in 2009, allowing him to play senior football in England.

His brother Jaineil currently plays for the second team of German Bundesliga side Mainz.