Blackburn Rovers may have advantage to play in race to sign 15-goal striker: View | OneFootball

On the basis of the season just gone, Blackburn Rovers are going to have plenty of work to do in the summer transfer window.

After a promising start to the campaign, the Ewood Park club rapidly slipped down the Championship table, and only a win over champions Leicester City on the final day ensured they avoided relegation.

Much of that was thanks to the 27 league goals scored by the division's Golden Boot winner, Sammie Szmodics.

Indeed, after the 28-year-old, the club's next highest scorers in the league this season were Arnor Sigurdsson and Tyrhys Dolan, who found the next just five times each in the Championship.

So with interest in Szmodics himself inevitably starting to emerge, a fresh source of goals, who can lead the line from a centre forward position Blackburn have struggled to fill recently, looks to be an obvious priority for the club this summer.

Now it seems as though targets to fill that position at Ewood Park, may already be starting to be identified.

Blackburn Rovers linked with Motherwell attacker

Last week, it was reported by The Daily Mail that Rovers are interested in signing Motherwell striker Theo Bair this summer.

Bair has enjoyed an impressive first campaign at Fir Park this season, scoring 15 goals and providing six assists in 40 appearances in all competitions for the club.

That appears to be attracting interest from elsewhere, with Blackburn and Bristol City thought to be leading a number of Championship clubs in the race to sign the 24-year-old.

Obviously, that interest in the Canada international from elsewhere, will make it harder for the Ewood Park club to win the race for his signature.

However, it could be argued that Blackburn may hold one significant advantage in the race to sign Bair this summer.

Blackburn Rovers have two players that Motherwell want

There has already been plenty of business done between Rovers and Motherwell in the past year or so.

Back in the summer, left-back Georgie Gent made the move from Ewood Park to join the Scottish Premiership on a season-long loan move.

He was then followed there in the January transfer window, when striker Jack Vale also joined Motherwell on loan from Blackburn.

Both went on to have successful stints at Fir Park, and Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell recently admitted he would like to keep the pair with his side, beyond the end of their loan spells.

That, in turn, could now be a useful aid for Blackburn, if they do indeed pursue a deal to sign Bair this summer.

In Vale and Gent, Rovers have something that they can offer Motherwell - either permanently or on loan - that they know the Scottish side want.

As a result, that may encourage them to do a deal with the Ewood Park club ahead of those other interested parties, given the boost they can give their own playing squad in doing so.

Indeed, with Vale himself operating as a striker, it would also help provide Motherwell with something of an immediate solution, in filling the void that would be left by Bair.

Not only could that help Blackburn to move ahead of others in the race to reach an agreement with the Fir Park club for his signing, giving them one or both of Vale and Gent could also reduce the prive they have to pay to complete the signing of Bair himself.

Given the need to strengthen in several areas this summer, and the fact that it remains to be seen if they will again be working on a budget in the window, saving some of those funds that might otherwise be spent on the striker, could be vital in other ways as well.

With all that in mind, it seems that if Blackburn do want to sign Bair this summer, they must surely take advantage of Kettlewell's recent comments on two of their own players, in Vale and Gent.