Blackburn Rovers eyeing £600k defender, move could see Accrington Stanley receive windfall

Blackburn Rovers are eyeing up a potential move for Union Saint-Gilloise centre-back Ross Sykes, reports Alan Nixon.

Sykes, 24, swapped Accrington Stanley for Belgian top flight side Union Saint-Gilloise in 2022.

The Burnley-born centre-back made more than 100 league appearances for Stanley before his move to Belgium, where he’d go on to feature 20 times in the Belgian top flight last season, scoring twice.

But Nixon is now reporting on his Patreon (via brfcs.com) that Blackburn Rovers are interested in bringing Sykes back to England before September 1st.

It’s also said that Union want a fee of around £600,000 for the player and that League One Accrington would be due a sizeable portion of any fee that Union receive for Sykes.

So far this summer, Blackburn have signed four new players, but Jon Dahl Tomasson is yet to bring in a new centre-back, with a move for Sunderland’s Danny Batth seemingly faltering despite his ongoing links to Ewood Park.

A good signing?

Sykes has had an interesting career to date. He made the step up from League One football to top flight Belgian football, seemingly with ease, and his form has caught the attention of Blackburn Rovers.

It’s always difficult to tell whether or not Rovers will spend money in the transfer market. They’re shrewd operators and after spending money on Leopold Wahlstedt, whether they can now spend on Sykes remains to be seen.

But Tomasson looks like he’s wanting a new centre-back signing before September 1st so expect to see the club linked with one or two more before then.

Sykes is the latest and he could be a good signing, but whether or not Rovers have the resources to make the move happen is the question here.

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Arnor Sigurdsson sets Blackburn Rovers comeback date and opens up on injury disappointment

The Iceland international forward has been sorely missed in the opening weeks of the season after suffering a groin injury

Arnor Sigurdsson is targeting a return to action with Blackburn Rovers after the international break.

The Icelandic summer signing suffered a groin injury during Rovers’ pre-season trip to Austria. That ruled him out for eight weeks and prevented him from playing any role in the first month of the season.

However, Sigurdsson is now back on the training pitches at Brockhall doing some light individual sessions as he steps up his recovery. The 24-year-old is aiming to be back in contention for Rovers after the international break but insisted he won’t rush his recovery.

Rovers face difficult away trips to Watford and Plymouth Argyle before the break and then return to Ewood Park to face Middlesbrough. Sigurdsson could be in contention for that fixture if his rehabilitation goes to plan.

“I would like to be back tomorrow!” Sigurdsson told RoversTV. “We have to be careful with it because it’s an injury that came back.

“It hadn’t healed properly. It’s better to take one extra week to make sure. I think three weeks more, when the international break is.

“It’s better to be careful, it’s a long season and a lot of games. It’s better to take that extra week to make sure I am 110 per cent to make sure.”

Sigurdsson’s injury was a reoccurring groin problem he initially suffered on international duty prior to joining Rovers. That was only a minor issue but the injury didn’t heal, ruling him out for almost two months.

“It was very tough,” he said. “It took me two, three days to take it on the chin, it is part of football.

“I just need to keep working, working hard. I can’t wait to get out there, put a shirt on and go out to the pitch.

“I know the fans are excited as well. It is part of football and I will come back stronger.”