Rochdale and their rivals Oldham Athletic are set for a showdown in a race to sign Huddersfield Town‘s Jay Sway on loan.

The teenager has been a highly-coveted target for clubs this summer, with reports last month revealing that both Middlesbrough and Norwich City were keen on poaching him away from the Terriers.

However, they were seen off by the Yorkshire side, with it being confirmed at the start of July that he had been tied down to a new deal until the summer of 2029.

Oldham Face Rivals In Race

While he has had some involvement in Town’s pre-season preparations ahead of the new League One season, a loan move could now be on the cards for Sway, with Pete O’Rourke revealing that both Rochdale and Oldham Athletic are keen on moves.

The 19-year-old, who plays predominantly as a right-back but can be flexible in other positions, was a regular in Huddersfield’s Carabao Cup campaign last season, playing against Manchester City, Sunderland and Leicester City before eventually earning a loan move to National League side Hartlepool United.

Sway played just five times at Victoria Park, including against the Dale, in an 11-minute cameo during their goalless draw in April in the North East.

Now in League Two, Ian Watson has taken over at Spotland following Jimmy McNulty’s exit to Stockport County, and have already commenced their season in the League Cup preliminary rounds, seeing off Tranmere Rovers in a penalty shootout.

Oldham, meanwhile, are still gearing up for their opening bow against Stoke City next weekend and are on the lookout for new options at full-back to play alongside Will Sutton.

Win-Win Situation For Town

Should Jay Sway stick around at Huddersfield Town this season, he may get some regular action here and there, but having already looked promising in the National League, sanctioning him another loan exit to League Two will be the best path forward for his development.

Town have two good options of potential clubs to send him to in the form of Oldham Athletic and Rochdale, both of whom have serious needs to add depth to their full-back areas this window.

For Rochdale, they are in need of a specialised option to play the position, having to rely on a more attacking-minded player in Olutobi Adebayo-Rowling to see them through their game against Tranmere Rovers.

Oldham have allowed both Reagan Ogle and Jake Caprice to leave this summer, meaning that only Will Sutton is left from last season’s options at right-back, and Sway could more than handle supporting him.

While Rochdale may prove to be the better destination if minutes are a must, either club would be a great option for Huddersfield to send their youth star to, and that means any exit would be a win-win for the Terriers.