Blackburn Rovers set to launch bid for 23-year-old Stoke City, Sunderland, Watford and West Brom target | OneFootball

Blackburn Rovers are set to make an offer for Hibernian centre-back Ryan Porteous in their quest to lure him away from the Scottish Premiership, according to last night’s report from the Daily Record.

The 23-year-old’s contract at Lee Johnson’s side expires in the summer and with the player refusing to put pen to paper on fresh terms, he could potentially be sold this month so the Scottish top-tier outfit can avoid losing him for free.

There has been no shortage of interest in his signature from the Championship, though it’s currently unclear how many of these teams will be tempted to wait until the summer when they can potentially pick him up for free.

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Stoke City have been identified as one potential destination with Alex Neil potentially able to utilise his links with Scotland to try and get a deal over the line for the central defender.

However, they could be the underdogs to win this transfer race with Watford also interested, although it remains to be seen if the Pozzo family are willing to fork out the fee needed to bring him to Vicarage Road with another one of their clubs in Udinese failing to strike a deal for him at this point.

Hibs are likely to accept a low fee for him – but this report also adds that many English second-tier sides still may not be able to afford a move for him. It remains to be seen whether the likes of Sunderland and West Brom are able to pay out the amount required to secure his arrival this month.

The Verdict:

Blackburn struck a similar deal for Ryan Hedges last January so it would be no surprise if they manage to pull off a similar deal again, though they may not be willing to spend too much on Porteous.

Considering the fact they may keep Ben Brereton Diaz, they won’t want to fork out huge fees for players this month, especially with the club not guaranteed to get themselves back to the Premier League.

They do need a long-term replacement for Clinton Mola though because although there’s an option to make the 21-year-old’s deal permanent, he hasn’t exactly been a regular starter since his move to Ewood Park and it would be difficult to see him staying in Lancashire for the long term because of this.

And considering Porteous is only 23, he will only improve so this is a signing well worth making if they can agree a reasonably modest fee for his services.

They may have a few loan spots to fill following George Hirst’s departure – but Rovers need to be looking towards the long term – with the club potentially able to sell the Hibernian defender on for a decent amount of money in the future.