Blackburn Rovers face Hibernian transfer battle for Danish goalkeeper | OneFootball

The Lancashire side are said to be battling Scottish Premiership side Hibernian for the shot-stopper this summer

Blackburn Rovers are said to be contemplating a loan move for FC Copenhagen’s 19-year-old goalkeeper Theo Sander, according to a report from Danish outlet Bold.

The Lancashire side are said to have competition for the teenager’s services this summer though, with Scottish Premiership side Hibernian also said to be chasing the shot-stopper.

Sander made the move to the Danish capital-side last summer from Aalborg NK, but has so far featured in just one Danish Superliga game, having played mainly for their youth side.

After undergoing knee surgery in December of last year, the young glovesman is looking to get some more game time under his belt this season, with his parent side aiming for a move that will see him be number one choice at his next destination.

Blackburn Rovers search for goalkeeper replacement after Leo Wahlstedt departure

Rovers are in the market for a new goalkeeper this summer, after Leo Wahlstedt recently left the club to join Aarhus after just one season at Ewood Park.

The Swede made just 21 appearances for Rovers during his time in the English game, having joined from Norwegian side Odd Grenland in the summer of 2023.

Having made his debut in an 8-0 thrashing of Harrogate Town in the EFL Cup, Wahlstedt went on to compete with Aynsley Pears for the number one spot at the club, given the former Middlesbrough man’s troubles between the sticks in the previous campaign.

It was the Englishman who got the nod for the final stretch of the campaign though, with the recent recruit having to play second fiddle from March onwards, as Rovers just about managed to stay in the division.

With the Swede setting sail after just 12 months in the Championship, it leaves John Eustace needing to find a replacement this summer, with Pears only having the largely untested Joe Hilton and Jordan Eastham in reserve to Pears.

Rovers had been credited with an interest in former Luton Town man Tim Krul this summer, as well as former Birmingham City man John Ruddy, although the latter has since moved to Newcastle United.

Now though, they seem to have turned their attention towards Sander, who is said to have had the likes of Arsenal, Aston Villa and Brentford after him in the past before his Copenhagen transfer last summer, having appeared 14 times in the Danish Superliga for Aalborg.

John Eustace outlines need for signings after lack of Blackburn Rovers transfer activity

Rovers have only acted to add Aodhan Doherty to their ranks this summer, with the Northern Irish teenager making the move to Ewood Park from Linfield in his homeland.

Eustace has outlined the need to bring in extra recruits ahead of the upcoming campaign, with the Rovers boss saying as much after his side beat Accrington Stanley 2-1 in a pre-season friendly at the weekend.

The Blackburn boss said, via the Lancashire Telegraph: “We want to add good quality all over the pitch and I hope we can do that.

"I want to bring in good players to ensure there is competition for places. Leo (Wahlstedt) has gone out, so we need to bring one in, of course we do, to put pressure on Pearsy. That counts for all positions.

"We have a very good squad but we're short of numbers, they need help, we saw with the second-half team it was very young. That's brilliant but we need to help the first XI as well.

"I have come here to build and to be successful, everyone wants good players coming into the building and that is what I want.

"We need to bring in more quality into that final third, I think it was evident again today that we had four or five great chances and we have to be clinical in that final third now.”