Blackburn Rovers closing in on AFC Bournemouth player deal | OneFootball

Mark Travers is believed to be close to a move to Ewood Park, but Rovers will still need to fend off competition to get their man.

Key Takeaways

Blackburn Rovers are close to sealing a loan deal for AFC Bournemouth goalkeeper Mark Travers.

According to Pete O'Rourke, the Cherries' shot-stopper could become Rovers' second goalkeeper addition of the summer window, with Jack Barrett already coming in.

It has been a fairly busy window for John Eustace's side, who have made five signings so far this summer.

Danny Batth and Andreas Weimann will provide plenty of Championship experience at opposite ends of the pitch for the Lancashire club, who have also brought in Barrett, Makhtar Gueye and Yuki Ohashi.

Gueye, Ohashi and Weimann are all attacking signings - and they are much-needed following Sammie Szmodics and Sam Gallagher's departures.

Szmodics was the top goalscorer in the English second tier last term with 27 league goals - and some fans may be expecting more business to be done before the window ends to fill the void that has been created with his move to Ipswich Town.

Having a decent-sized squad, they may not need to make too many additions before the summer window closes later this week, but their keeper department is one that Rovers are seemingly keen to look at.

Blackburn Rovers face competition for Mark Travers

Rovers are "closing in" on a temporary move for Bournemouth's Travers, according to O'Rourke.

But the same journalist has also revealed that there are a couple of other teams that are in the mix for the Irish keeper.

Strasbourg, who currently compete in the top tier of French football, are also believed to be interested in the Cherries' man, who isn't short of interest.

The club are located near the France-Germany border and could be a good destination for Travers, but it's unclear whether he is prepared to make this move.

La Liga side Rayo Vallecano are thought to be the third team that are interested in the stopper, but Rovers look to be leading the race for him at this stage.

A move away from the Vitality Stadium seems inevitable for the player, who hasn't won much game time with his current side in recent seasons.

Blackburn Rovers would benefit from Mark Travers' arrival

Barrett may be a potential alternative to Aynsley Pears and Joe Hilton may be able to step up too, but it seems inevitable that a stopper will come in before the deadline.

Having sold Leopold Wahlstedt earlier in the summer, a sufficient replacement was needed and Travers could be that man.

The Irishman would be an excellent signing, considering how frequently he played during the Cherries' promotion-winning 2021/22 campaign.

His game time may have been limited in recent years, but he would push Pears hard for a starting spot.

That increased competition in this area should only help to raise Pears and Travers' performance levels - and that's a real bonus in Rovers' quest to do well this season.

Having sold Szmodics, Blackburn need to ensure that they are as solid as they can be at the back to compensate for his loss, and the addition of Travers would be a shrewd one if they can get it over the line.