Blackburn Rovers make transfer move for £35k-p/w Stoke City outcast | OneFootball

Blackburn Rovers have made a move for Stoke City defender Ben Gibson

Blackburn Rovers are interested in signing Stoke City outcast defender Ben Gibson this January, with formal contact already having been made between the two clubs over a potential deal.

Having opened the season in poor form, Blackburn Rovers have been clawing their way back up the table in recent weeks, albeit they are drawing their matches more often than not.

Led by former West Brom, Watford, and Barnsley boss Valerian Ismael, the Lancashire-based outfit doesn't look like threatening for a play-off place anytime soon, though look well-placed to avoid a late relegation scrap.

Rovers have a strong defensive record this campaign, in fact, having the best one in the bottom 11 of the EFL Championship table and third-best overall.

However, injuries to both Scott Wharton and Hayden Carter in recent weeks, whilst Ryan Alebiosu is away at AFCON with Nigeria, have left Ismael's side short of defensive options, and led them to make a move for Stoke City veteran defender Ben Gibson, as per Alan Nixon, with a deal hoped to be done relatively swiftly.

Blackburn Rovers outline transfer intentions for Stoke City's Ben Gibson

Blackburn are hoping to get some of their January transfer business done quickly with the capture of Gibson from Stoke.

The 32-year-old has been left out in the cold for much of this campaign, though has come back into the side in recent weeks to cover at left-back due to injuries to both Eric Bocat and Aaron Cresswell, making his first league start of the season in the Potters' 2-1 home defeat to Sheffield United on Monday night.

Any deal struck between the two clubs would more than likely be a loan, with Gibson's staggering £35,000-per-week contract - as per estimates from Capology - proving to be a stumbling block as to why Stoke couldn't shift him in the first place.

Gibson would slot in on the left side of Rovers' defence, which has been occupied by George Pratt in their recent games.

Blackburn have notoriously never been flush with their cash in recent years, rarely ever splurging out on a deal in the transfer window, and that is highly unlikely to change with the deal for Gibson.

Ben Gibson has fallen out of favour at Stoke City since the arrival of Mark Robins

Having been signed by Steven Schumacher at Stoke on a three-year deal, whilst being handed the captain's armband upon arrival, the former Middlesbrough and Norwich City defender has seen his game time dwindle in the Potteries since the arrival of Robins nearly a year ago.

Before Robins, though, was Narcis Pelach, who heavily used Gibson in his brief and disastrous stint in charge of the club, with Stoke becoming target practice for many teams during his tenure.

Gibson has fallen behind each of Ben Wilmot, Ashley Phillips, Maksym Talovierov, and Bosun Lawal at centre-back, and only injuries in their full-back department have led to a recall into the side.

However, his days in a Stoke shirt now look numbered, as although his contract is due to expire in the summer of 2027, the Potters' willingness to allow the veteran to leave on loan to Blackburn suggests that he is to play no part in the club's vision for the future.