Blackburn Rovers plot loan swoop for Birmingham City defender Taylor Gardner-Hickman | OneFootball

Gardner-Hickman could be reuniting with Valerien Ismael at Ewood Park

Blackburn Rovers are in talks with Birmingham City over the potential signing of utility man Taylor Gardner-Hickman as Monday night's transfer deadline edges ever closer.

Rovers, alongside Birmingham, have been two of the Championship's most active clubs in the summer window, with Valerien Ismael overseeing plenty of change in what is his first full season in charge at Ewood Park.

Despite much of the focus of the transfer window focusing on the eventual whereabouts of the recently-departed Lewis Travis, Ismael has recruited plenty of new faces across all departments as he looks to build on the East Lancashire side's seventh-place finish last time out, finishing just two points behind the play-off spots.

After a mixed start to the campaign in terms of both on and off-pitch matters, Blackburn are looking to strike a handful of deals - both incomings and outgoings - and one of those could see their French boss reunite with one of his former West Bromwich Albion colleagues, who has already fallen victim to the major changes conducted at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park.

Alan Nixon has revealed via Patreon that Blackburn are in talks with the West Midlands side over the potential signing of Gardner-Hickman - just a year after the Telford-born man moved from Bristol City to Blues on an initial loan deal.

After breaking into the starting lineup under Chris Davies, Gardner-Hickman became an immediate fan favourite with Bluenoses for his tireless performances in an array of positions which included right-back, right midfield and his natural position in the centre of the park.

Such was his importance to the side, the 23-year-old saw his initial loan switch from the West Country made permanent for a reported £1.5m at the conclusion of Birmingham's record-breaking League One campaign, penning a fresh contract in B9 until the summer of 2028.

However, Gardner-Hickman has found himself down the pecking order in several of the positions in which he provided adequate cover last term, with Tommy Doyle and Kanya Fujimoto added to the midfield ranks, whilst Ethan Laird is now competing with Bright Osayi-Samuel for the starting spot on the right side of defence.

As such, Nixon's report states that this has alerted Blackburn to the possibility of striking an agreement should they lose Dom Hyam to Wrexham - despite the Red Dragons already seeing two bids in the region of £2m knocked back - with a deal for Gardner-Hickman reportedly being an initial loan with an option-to-buy further down the line.

Valerien Ismael would be making a smart move with Taylor Gardner-Hickman, Birmingham City agreement

It remains to be seen whether Blackburn press forward with this move at such a late stage, especially if Hyam remains at Ewood Park with the transfer deadline fast approaching.

However, Gardner-Hickman would prove to be an effective signing who could cover several bases should Ismael lose key performers in defence or midfield, as well as knowing the player from their short-lived spell as colleagues at The Hawthorns in the first half of the 2021/22 campaign.

It was reported by Birmingham Live at the start of Deadline Day that a potential exit for Gardner-Hickman would be filed under the 'wildcard' category, although it is clear that this would be a deal that would be done in the best interests of all parties involved.

The midfielder has only played 91 minutes of football in the opening month of the campaign, which included a solitary start in Birmingham's underwhelming and unexpected EFL Cup exit at the hands of Port Vale.