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Lee Hendrie has given his verdict on Blackburn Rovers' interest in Lorient striker Sambou Soumano.

Pundit Lee Hendrie believes Lorient striker Sambou Soumano could be a gamble worth taking for Blackburn Rovers.

Soumano scored 14 goals and provided four assists in 34 appearances for Lorient last season to help them to promotion to Ligue 1, and his strong form seems to have continued into the new campaign, with the 24-year-old getting on the scoresheet in his side's 4-0 win over Rennes on Sunday.

It appears Soumano's impressive performances in France have not gone unnoticed, and according to journalist Alan Nixon, Blackburn have had a bid of around £2 million plus extras rejected by Lorient, who are believed to be demanding as much as £5 million.

Polish side Widzew Lodz have reportedly made a lower offer than Rovers for Soumano, which has also been turned down, while a number of other clubs have also been linked with the striker, including Swansea City and Celtic, but the Lancashire outfit are still thought to have a chance of winning the race for his signature.

Should Blackburn complete a deal for Soumano, he would become their ninth signing of the summer after the arrivals of Ryan Alebiosu, Lewis Miller, Sean McLoughlin, Sidnei Tavares, Moussa Baradji, Axel Henriksson, Dion De Neve and Ryoya Morishita, and their budget was given a boost this week by the sale of captain Lewis Travis to Derby County for a fee of £3 million.

Lee Hendrie reacts as Blackburn Rovers launch Sambou Soumano move

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Hendrie admitted that the signing of Soumano would be a gamble for Blackburn, but he claimed he could be a good addition based on his strong goalscoring record in France.

"Blackburn are obviously looking to bolster their squad," Hendrie said.

"Sambou Soumano is 24 years of age, he scored goals last season.

"I don't know an awful lot about him as in what sort of player he actually is, but obviously he is a centre-forward, which Blackburn need at the moment.

"This is one where you're stepping into the unknown a little bit because the Championship, as well all know, is such a tough league.

"This could be a really good coup for the football club.

"You do find that there are lot of good footballers out there who sometimes go unnoticed, but I think with the way clubs recruit these days, they do a lot of background stuff, and they will feel that this could be a really good signing for them.

"He scored goals last season, and he has done previously at other clubs as well, so this could be one of those that you pull out the bag.

"He could be a really good signing for Blackburn."

Sambou Soumano could be the missing piece of the Blackburn Rovers puzzle

It has not been the easiest summer for Blackburn, with a number of key players departing after turning down contract offers, but head coach Valerien Ismael looks to have built a squad that can be competitive this season.

Ismael does have four strong striker options at his disposal in Makhtar Gueye, Yuki Ohashi, Augustus Kargbo and Harry Leonard, but none are particularly prolific, and without a clinical number nine, it will be difficult for Rovers to reach the play-offs.

With that in mind, Soumano could be exactly the kind of player that Blackburn are currently missing, and while there is no guarantee that he will be a success in the Championship, the club should consider increasing their offer in order to meet Lorient's valuation.