Football League World
·17 July 2023
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·17 July 2023
Blackburn Rovers are interested in signing Besiktas striker Jackson Muleka, according to the Daily Mail.
Rovers are said to be "in discussions" with Besiktas over Muleka, who is valued at around £4 million.
Muleka joined Besiktas from Standard Leige last summer and he scored six goals and registered one assist in 32 appearances in all competitions last season to help the Turkish outfit to a third placed finish.
Burnley were keen to sign Muleka prior to his move to Besiktas and did agree a £3.5 million fee with Standard Liege, but his agent says that the move collapsed due to work permit issues.
After the departure of star striker Ben Brereton Diaz and Bradley Dack, Rovers are in the market for attacking reinforcements this summer.
After the arrivals of Niall Ennis, Sondre Tronstad and Arnor Sigurdsson, Tomasson believes Rovers need to bring in three or four more additions this summer and he stressed the importance of recruiting a proven goalscorer.
"I'm happy with three players at the moment, which is really good, but we all know, we had a great season last season and made great progress within project, but we saw how great we played and then we also saw that we were missing goals last season in the end with all those opportunities that we created," Tomasson told BBC Radio Lancashire.
"We shouldn't forget that we've lost 23 goals with (Ben Brereton) Diaz and (Bradley) Dack. Two excellent players and also players that are high earners in the budget. So I expect players with a proven scoring record in the building.
"I know the recruitment have been working hard so hopefully they will arrange it rather soon than later so that we can use the time to get them fit and used to the way I want to play football but we need more players and more players that can score goals."
However, The Mirror claim that Tomasson is considering leaving Ewood Park after he was informed the club's budget would be cut and players may need to be sold.
Rovers' Indian owners "have been advised by their government back home to slash overseas investment" and have cut the budget for the season by 20 per cent, as well as introducing "a freeze on bringing in any new players".
Muleka would be an intriguing addition for Rovers.
His record at Besiktas last season was not particularly impressive, but he has enjoyed more prolific campaigns previously and given Vincent Kompany's excellent recruitment credentials, the fact he was on Burnley's radar last summer is an endorsement of his abilities.
However, given the reported financial situation at Ewood Park, it seems incredibly unlikely that Blackburn would be able to meet Besiktas' £4 million valuation at this point.