Derby County find £3m transfer breakthrough for Blackburn Rovers star Lewis Travis | OneFootball

The Rovers captain is close to reuniting with former Blackburn boss John Eustace at Pride Park.

Blackburn Rovers have agreed a fee with Derby County for the transfer of their club captain, Lewis Travis.

Blackburn reporter Elliott Jackson has revealed that the deal could see Rovers bank over £3m for the sale to Derby, with a sell-on clause attached, too.

The 27-year-old came up through the ranks at Ewood Park and has been with the club since 2014, but a fallout over this summer between player and club led to a sale being inevitable this summer.

Valerien Ismael said following their defeat in the EFL Cup to Bradford City just over a week ago that he'd be free to leave for the right price, and it seems that Derby have met that valuation.

Derby County close in on Lewis Travis signing

Soccer Football - Carabao Cup - Round of 16 - Blackburn Rovers v Nottingham Forest - Ewood Park, Blackburn, Britain - December 21, 2022 Blackburn Rovers' Lewis Travis in action with Nottingham Forest's Willy Boly Action Images via Reuters/Ed Sykes EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club /

Elliott Jackson from the Lancashire Telegraph has covered the fallout between long-standing captain Lewis Travis and Blackburn Rovers, and has revealed on Friday that Rovers have finally accepted a fee from Derby for the 27-year-old.

Travis, who was out of contract at the end of the season, is set to depart for a fee which could exceed £3m, with a sell-on clause included in the deal, too.

The defensive midfielder has made 264 appearances for Blackburn and, barring a short-term loan spell at Ipswich Town in the 2023/24 campaign, has spent all eight years of his professional career so far at Ewood Park.

Travis even captained Ismael's side on the opening day of the current campaign in a 1-0 defeat against West Bromwich Albion, which will prove to be his last effort in a Blackburn shirt before he joins John Eustace's Derby.

The 27-year-old will become the fifth man to reunite with former Blackburn boss Eustace this summer, after Danny Batth and Andreas Weimann signed permanent deals with the Rams, whilst Dion Sanderson and Owen Beck arrived at Pride Park on loan for the season.

His arrival will be welcomed by Derby fans, who have seen their side concede eight goals through the first two games of the Championship season.

Derby County's midfield is set to be upgraded with Lewis Travis' arrival

Derby allowed 12 shots in their opening game away at Stoke City, and then a further 20 against Coventry City in their 5-3 home defeat last weekend.

Clearly, the Rams are allowing too many chances in the opening stages of the season, and Travis' arrival will help quell those.

The former Liverpool youngster's strengths lie in winning tackles and breaking down the play before any chances can be created by the opposition, and he'll provide an upgrade to the likes of Liam Thompson in the middle behind Ebou Adams.

Ultimately, his contributions were a big part of Blackburn's strong defensive displays under Eustace, which had them in the top six before his departure.

Plus, his leadership qualities are something which Derby desperately needs in the middle of the park, after a couple of shaky performances where they were unable to take control of games.

Therefore, this deal can almost be seen as a win-win for both parties.

For Blackburn, they managed to hold out for their valuation, following a few bids which fell short of the mark. Meanwhile, Eustace's Rams pick up a solid operator in the middle of the park heading into the traditional prime years of his career.