BURNLEY have officially rubber-stamped Kian Le Fondre’s move from Wanderers.
The 16-year-old published a photo on his social media account last week, announcing he had left Bolton following a five-year spell in the club’s academy.
Le Fondre – second cousin of former Whites favourite Adam Le Fondre – is a Scotland youth international and has made a big hit in the youth ranks at Lostock as a goalscoring midfielder.
The Stockport-born teenager told Burnley’s academy website: "I'm buzzing to be here, it's a lot different from where I have been in the past and it's a great challenge for me now to kick on.
"He (Adam) gives me a lot of advice, i speak to him quite a bit to be honest.
"I spoke to him after signing here, and he congratulated me on signing and he told me to just enjoy it."
Le Fondre will be managed at youth level by another former Bolton Wanderers favourite, Tony Philliskirk, and has been tipped to make a success of himself in the professional game.
Burnley’s academy director Paul Jenkins added: "Firstly, I’d like to welcome Kian and his family to Burnley Football club.
"As soon as we were aware of Kian’s availability, we acted very promptly to speak with him and his parents about our environment and the Academy.
"We are really looking forward to working together to maximise his potential.
"Securing the signature of a player with this potential shows we are ready and willing to invest in our Academy to help us succeed in producing players at our club."
Wanderers are thought to have got training compensation for Le Fondre, who has been within their ranks since the age of 11 and has played for the Under-18s side since the age of 15.
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.”
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