Blackburn Rovers close to signing Hull City player - He was available for £500k last summer | OneFootball

Sean McLoughlin could finally be making a switch to the Ewood Park outfit

Blackburn Rovers are edging closer to finalising an agreement for long-standing transfer target, Sean McLoughlin, of Championship rivals, Hull City.

Valerien Ismael is preparing for his first full season in charge of the East Lancashire club, having turned the tide when it comes to results in the final weeks of last season, with Rovers narrowly missing out on a place in the second-tier play-offs for the first time since their relegation to the EFL back in 2012.

Uncertainity has so often been a buzzword associated with the Ewood Park outfit under the Venky's ownership. However, they are looking to take advantage of the well-documented situation across the Pennines at the MKM Stadium, with the Tigers still waiting to learn the outcome of their appeal after being placed under a three-window transfer fee restriction following the imposition of two previous transfer embargos relating to Louie Barry and Finley Burns' respective loan deals last season.

McLoughlin has been a long-standing member of City's defence under several managers, but could depart just weeks into Sergej Jakirovic's reign after the Bosnian replaced Ruben Selles, who was dismissed just days after last season's conclusion, with Blackburn rekindling their interest in the Cork native 12 months after initially being credited with interest.

Blackburn Rovers closing in on finalising Hull City, Sean McLoughlin transfer agreement

The 28-year-old has been on Hull's books since the summer of 2019, having made the switch from his hometown club in the League of Ireland Premier Division during Grant McCann's first season in charge.

After a loan spell with St Mirren and a brief selection of cameo appearances during his first two seasons in East Yorkshire, which resulted in relegation and a League One title success, McLoughlin's major breakthrough came in the middle of the 2021/22 campaign, and he has since gone on to make a total of 146 appearances for City, making five assists in that timeframe, although he hasn't found the back of the net.

The Irishman impressed throughout Liam Rosenior's time at the club, building up strong defensive partnerships with Alfie Jones and Jacob Greaves, and under Selles in particular, filled in as a stop-gap option at left-back last term as Hull eventually secured their safety on the final day of the season with a 1-1 draw at Portsmouth.

It was reported last July, when Blackburn were under John Eustace's management, that McLoughlin was of interest to the Lancashire club and was available for a £500,000 figure, although a departure never materialised as Rovers also faced competition from overseas clubs for his services.

Last week, Hull Live claimed that the Tigers may need to ready themselves for a formal offer from their divisional rivals for the defender as their long-standing interest resurfaced, with a fresh report from Football Insider stating that the clubs are in advanced negotiations, with Blackburn confident of striking a cut-price deal given current circumstances at the MKM Stadium.

Hull City supporters may be frustrated by timing of potential Sean McLoughlin exit

As previously mentioned, Acun Ilicali and the Hull hierarchy are still waiting to learn about how the club can operate for the remainder of the current transfer window, as well as the following two, depending on whether the restriction fee is upheld or removed.

Ryan Giles has returned to the club following an underwhelming loan spell at Middlesbrough, and has a point to prove after also underperforming during the first half of last season under Tim Walter and Selles, with Cody Drameh also capable of filling in the role despite predominantly featuring as a right-sided full-back.

Whilst the current window represents, arguably, the greatest chance for Hull to make a profit on the Irishman who was signed six years ago, they are also running the risk of leaving themselves unprepared in a key position which wasn't added to in regard to further depth and quality in January.