Everton plotting move for Blackburn Rovers star Sammie Szmodics | OneFootball

Everton have joined the race to sign Sammie Szmodics from Blackburn Rovers in the summer transfer window.

That's according to a report from Football Transfers, who say that the Toffees have placed the attacking midfielder among their top targets.

It has been a remarkable goalscoring campaign for Szmodics in a Blackburn side that has otherwise struggled at the wrong end of the Championship.

The 28-year-old has scored 31 goals in all competitions for the Ewood Park club, making this by far the best individual campaign of his career.

That has not surprisingly led to plenty of speculation around his future, and Everton are the latest to be linked with a move for the attacking midfielder.

Toffees targeting Sammie Szmodics

As per this latest update, Everton have made the signing of Szmodics one of their top priorities for the summer.

While there is expected to be an emphasis on free transfers and loans, the Blackburn man is one player the Merseyside club could apparently look to spend money on.

However, it may not be easy for them to win the race to secure the services of the Republic of Ireland international.

A number of other Premier League clubs have been credited with an interest in the 28-year-old, and it has been claimed that Blackburn will demand a fee of £15-20million for their Player of the Season.

There are two years remaining on Szmodics' contract at Ewood Park, with an option of a further 12 months, meaning the Championship club are in a strong position to respond to any offers that come.

It does seem as though much of Everton's business could be done shopping in the second-tier this summer. Hull City centre back Jacob Greaves and Southampton striker Che Adams have also recently been linked with moves to Goodison Park.

Blackburn still not certain of Championship safety

While Everton ensured they are safe from Premier League relegation last weekend, the same cannot yet be said for Blackburn in the Championship.

Rovers go into the final game of the season, away at title winners Leicester City, 19th in the table, three points clear of the relegation zone.

They will therefore be guaranteed safety if they can avoid defeat to the Foxes. But if they were to lose, and Birmingham and Plymouth won their matches with Norwich and Hull, and Sheffield Wednesday avoid defeat at Sunderland, then the Ewood Park club would be relegated to League One.

Szmodics to Everton may be risky for all involved

There is an argument that a move to Goodison Park for the Blackburn Rovers could be something of a gamble for all concerned.

From Everton's perspective, this is by some distance Szmodics' best goalscoring campaign of his career, and so there may be no guarantee he can maintain that next year, especially if he steps up to the Premier League.

As a result, for a club facing the financial uncertainties that they have been recently, it could be a big gamble for them to meet Blackburn's asking price for a player who is yet to prove himself at that level.

For Szmodics though, those financial issues at Everton could equally be a concern, as there may be no guarantee he is moving to a club whose position is all that secure.

That does feel different from some of those other sides he has been linked with, where he could be more confident about his long-term future.

With that in mind, there may be an argument that this is perhaps not the best deal for either the club or the player to pursue come the summer transfer window.