Nottingham Forest, Everton, Bournemouth and Aston Villa face competition for Blackburn Rovers star | OneFootball

Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa, West Ham and Bournemouth all face European competition for the signing of Ben Brereton Diaz.

According to Teamtalk, the English quartet of clubs are all looking to sign the Chile international this summer.

Blackburn Rovers have already rejected a £10 million bid from French side Nice this transfer window, with his price tag expected to be in excess of £15 million.

But Spanish outfit Sevilla are also eyeing a move for the prolific striker.

In fact, Julen Lopetegui’s side are hoping to convince Brereton Diaz to remain with Rovers until January, at which point they can then negotiate a pre-contract with the player.

That would mean that the striker remains with the Championship club until the end of the season, but then depart for Sevilla as a free agent next summer.

That option is available due to the 23-year old only having one year remaining on his current contract.

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It is also believed that Brereton Diaz has no interest in re-signing with Blackburn despite enjoying his time at Ewood Park thus far.

The forward scored 22 goals last season as the side finished 8th in the second division table, and he has started the current campaign brightly by bagging two and assisting one in the team’s opening five league fixtures.

The Verdict

This would sting from a Blackburn perspective and shows the tightrope that the club are trying to cross regarding this situation.

While Brereton Diaz is a hugely important player to the side, losing him on a free could prove to be far more costly.

Bagging a fee worth up to £15 million this summer may hurt in the short-term but could help Jon Dahl Tomasson build a side in the long-term.

It’s a delicate situation for the club, but the more lucrative option for the striker is to run down his contract and have his pick of clubs next summer so it would come as no surprise to see that road being taken.