Stoke City Declare Interest In League Rival Target Man

Stoke City are looking to purchase Sam Gallagher from Blackburn Rovers ahead of an important Championship season, according to journalist Alan Nixon.

The Potters finished 17th last season with 56 points. This was a total that saw the club narrowly avoid relegation by six points as they finished the campaign well with three consecutive victories over Plymouth Argyle, Southampton and Bristol City.

The club has already shown its intent in the transfer market through the signings of left-back Eric-Junior Bocat and Viktor Johansson from Rotherham United. Alongside this they have also signed Ben Gibson from Norwich City on a free transfer to add experience to their defence. Despite new players for their defence, attacking options seem to be lacking.

Stoke released both Tyrese Campbell and Wesley Moraes ahead of the upcoming season leaving them with Ryan Mmaee and Niall Ennis. The duo that remain managed just four goals in the last campaign, thus suggesting a new striker is a priority.

The lack of fire power is exemplified by the side finding the net just 49 times, which was only more than five other clubs. Furthermore, Andre Vidigal was their top goalscorer with just six goals in the league from the left wing, further emphasising the need for a consistent finisher.

As a result, Nixon has reported that the Staffordshire-based side want relegation rivals Blackburn’s forward Sam Gallagher. However, he did note that they were well apart in evaluations. The 28-year-old was left out of the pre-season game at Wigan Athletic to allow for the deal to progress but the clubs are currently said to be far away from an agreement.

The target man is in the last year of his contract but Rovers will want a decent fee for him, with Nixon estimating at around or over £1 million. Stoke know that the wages would be high to attract the player and so they are pitching the offer low to reduce the overall cost of the deal.

The forward found the net three times last season with three assists and provides a wealth of experience in the second tier. He has played over 260 games in the Championship with 5o goals.