Blackburn Rovers attacker Sam Gallagher has been linked with a move away from Ewood Park, with the Express reporting that Ipswich Town, Luton Town, and Swansea City are all interested in his services.
The 28-year-old has played for the Lancashire club since signing from Southampton in 2019. He is a popular figure at Rovers, but due to injury concerns, he only scored three goals in 24 Championship games last season.
| Sam Gallagher 2023/24 Championship stats | |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 24 |
| Starts | 20 |
| Minutes played | 1,720 |
| Goals | 3 |
| Assists | 3 |
Gallagher’s contract with John Eustace’s side is set to end in 2025, so this summer is the last chance for his club to cash in on him.
Pundit advances Gallagher’s assertion as transfer interest looms.
“Ipswich Town are still reportedly interested in signing Sam Gallagher.
“Kieran McKenna attempted to sign Sam during the January transfer window, but several bids were rejected by Blackburn.”
“The difficulty is that Sam is entering the final year of his contract.
“Blackburn will not let the 28-year-old run down his contract and depart for free.
“Therefore, several clubs are interested in signing him.
“Luton Town and Swansea City, to name two, are interested in signing him.
“They know they’ll receive a low price for him because his contract expires next summer.
“Kieran McKenna is thought to still be interested in Sam and feels he can do well in the Premier League.
“The difficulty is that Sam has had an injury-ravaged season; he will want to play football, and will he now consider Ipswich Town?
“With their promotion back to the Premier League, they will undoubtedly make additions.
Will he consider how his game time will be limited there?
“So, would he want to go to a club like Luton Town or Swansea, where he can play regularly?
“Luton Town will be aiming for automatic promotion again next season, and he will play consistently.
“It’s evident that his future is not at Blackburn, and I don’t think he’ll be there by the end of the summer transfer window.
“It remains to be seen where he will finish up, but the temptation of playing in the Premier League will undoubtedly interest him, as every player wants to play in the Premier League while still wanting to play regular games.
“Ipswich will look at this as a regularly cheap deal for Sam in terms of the transfer fee, and his wages.
“I think a fee in the region of about £8m would probably see him leave Blackburn Rovers this summer.”
Rovers may have a challenging summer.
With Gallagher drawing suitors, including Premier League bound Ipswich, the Ewood Park club may be forced to transfer him this summer before his contract expires next year.
However, the attacker is not the only player who might be lured away from Rovers this summer. Football Insider has connected the club’s talisman Sammie Szmodics with a move to Scottish heavyweights Celtic.
Last season, the Ireland international scored 27 goals, and without him, Eustace’s side would very certainly have been relegated to League One.
The Lancashire team may struggle to adjust to life without Gallagher and Szmodics, but such a scenario might soon become a reality.
