Blackburn Rovers stance on Sammie Szmodics revealed amid Ipswich Town interest | OneFootball

Rovers have outlined their position on Sammie Szmodics, amid recent talks with Ipswich.

Highlights

Blackburn Rovers’ stance on leading goalscorer Sammie Szmodics has been made clear ahead of a summer transfer tussle for his services.

According to a report from Alan Nixon via his Patreon account, Blackburn are looking to propose a wage increase to Szmodics but will reluctantly sanction a sale if a decision is not forthcoming.

The four-cap Republic of Ireland international was a revelation at Ewood Park in the 2023/24 campaign and finished as the division’s leading goalscorer by returning 27 strikes from 44 outings to help Rovesr fend off relegation to League One, which they survived by three points.

Szmodics’ exploits have unsurprisingly seen him subjected to a plethora of transfer interest heading into 2024/25, with Celtic and a number of Premier League clubs being linked, according to Football Insider.

More presently, top-flight newcomers Ipswich Town haven’t been shy in looking back to the Championship by signing Jacob Greaves from Hull City and they’re now in the race for Szmodics.

Nixon’s report states that Blackburn have bolstered their finances from the sales of Leopold Wahlstedt and Samir Telalovic, which has given them the scope to tempt Szmodics into staying put with the offer of a significant pay increase.

Although Blackburn are working on a tight budget and are reported to have been offering low wages to ongoing transfer targets, retaining Szmodics is a priority and they’re prepared to fork out a sizeable outlay to keep him happy.

According to Capology estimates, Szmodics is currently taking home £15,000 per week but it’s not disclosed just how much they’re looking to increase his current salary by.

However, the report adds that a sale may be quickened if Szmodics doesn’t accept Blackburn’s impending contract offer and he was valued between £15m-20m at the end of the previous season.

Ipswich Town’s transfer interest in Blackburn Rovers' Sammie Szmodics

Meanwhile, as per TWTD, Ipswich have been in talks with Blackburn over a potential move for Szmodics this summer.

The forward is said to have been a long-standing target among the Portman Road decision makers and discussions are reportedly underway for a fee in the region of £6m alongside further add-on inclusions.

Interestingly, the separate report adds that personal terms are not expected to be an issue between the two parties, which could well be a chief factor in Blackburn preparing to increase his contract at Rovers substantially.

Blackburn Rovers must not accept potential £6m Sammie Szmodics deal from Ipswich Town

Player power is prominent these days and clubs no longer have the same level of control when it comes to keeping hold of their prized assets amid enticing external interest.

So despite offering a monumental wage increase, Blackburn may still be powerless to prevent Szmodics’ summer switch.

But it will be hoped that they have wriggle room to negotiate a more significant fee for his signature, with the current £6m offering from Ipswich representing a meagre offering for a player of his ability and importance.

Szmodics single-handedly kept Blackburn in the league last season and directly scored 45% of all their Championship goals, so to lose that influence for less than eight figures would be a disastrous blow for John Eustace heading into the new season.