MIDFIELD talent Kian le Fondre has left Wanderers to join Premier League Burnley.

The 16-year-old, who is a second cousin of ex-Bolton, Cardiff and Rotherham striker Adam le Fondre, released a picture of his contract signing with the Clarets on Instagram earlier this week.

Wanderers have yet to confirm the move but will be due training compensation.

Le Fondre was on the bench for Wanderers at Shrewsbury Town in last season’s EFL Trophy and, had he featured, would have been the club’s youngest-ever player at 15 years and 248 days, beating Ray Parry’s long-standing record of 15 years and 268 days.

He had been a regular goal-scorer at Under-18s level for Bolton in the last two seasons and is able to play across midfield.

The Bolton News:

He featured briefly in pre-season for Ian Evatt, replacing Ronan Darcy in the 1-0 win at Chorley in July.

Burnley have recruited extensively at academy level of late and were upgraded to category one in June 2020.

Speaking about his second cousin on the Walking Down the Manny Road podcast in October last year, Adam Le Fondre said he expected his relative to make the grade.

“I can categorically say he will make the step up,” he said. “He is definitely going to make it as a professional footballer.

“He has got all the tools that a modern day footballer needs, a great engine, can go on either foot and he scores goals from midfield.

“I think if you looked at the Under-18s reports, le Fondre is lettered in there for goals and he was a 15-year-old playing at Under-18 level. He has definitely got an exciting future ahead of him.

“I am really looking forward to watching him as my career dwindles down and his is on the rise.

“I speak to him semi-regularly and his dad as well and have said I am always here if he wants to speak or talk to me about anything that I went through in my career. When I was a young player coming through I would have loved someone to lean on and just say ‘did you have that experience etc?

“It has been nice to speak to him and pass on that advice.

“He has got bags of ability and I expect big things of him in the future. I think he will expect that of himself as well.”