Blackburn have played some superb football so far this season and now find themselves well in the hunt for a play-off spot.

One of the main reasons for this success has come down to the goalscoring prowess of Ben Brereton-Diaz. When Adam Armstrong was initially sold by the side, it looked as though they may need to try and find a capable replacement to replace his goals.

However, the Ewood Park side instead looked within their own squad to Brereton-Diaz and he has duly responded by having an incredible season and hitting the back of the net on a regular basis.

His Championship goalscoring has not gone unnoticed, with The Mirror reporting that several Premier League sides are now eager to sign the striker, including Brighton and West Ham.

Even though Tony Mowbray will not want to part ways with his star man, especially in the middle of a promotion hunt, if a big club lodges a decent sized bid for the forward, then they may have to accept it. In this instance then, who could be a replacement for the Chile international?

 

 

1. Folarin Balogun - Arsenal

The Gunners player looks a talented young prospect and although he has yet to have any experience of Championship football, a potential Blackburn deal for the player could work out nicely.

If the bid made for Brereton-Diaz is a large one, they could perhaps convince Arsenal to part ways with the forward permanently. If the club decided they wanted to try the youngster before they signed him up, there could certainly be an agreement reached with a fee for the future put in place.

Signing the player could be a shrewd move by Rovers, as with the potential he has, he could end up being sold for even more than Brereton-Diaz.

One thing Tony Mowbray needs to consider though is whether he wants to take the gamble - Balogun is unproven and is therefore not guaranteed to score goals as his current Chile forward is. He could be a good long-term investment but it is one that may not see the player scoring goals now.

Alternatively, if the club wanted a player with at least some experience, they could perhaps turn to his teammate Eddie Nketiah instead.

2. Emil Riis - Preston

Preston have a talented striker on their hands in Emil Riis and the Lilywhites will not want to sell him, especially to a local rival.

If Blackburn sell Ben Brereton-Diaz though, they will have a lot of money to potentially play with and could quite easily tempt PNE into a sale with a seven-figure fee (albeit one that isn't too ridiculous and would not use up half of the budget of some other potential players).

Riis has the Championship experience and he has been superb given more game-time and free rein this year, bagging eight goals.

Although the player has only just started finding the net, he is still only young and his showings so far hint at the potential to become a solid second tier player. If Blackburn capitalise now, they could do a deal for him that could end up having a big resale value too.

Preston and Ryan Lowe won't be keen to sell but if the right offer comes in, they may have to think about it.

3. Terem Moffi - Lorient

The last player replacement here is a bit of an outside of the box one but if Blackburn fancy looking abroad for a solution - as some EFL clubs are doing more often now - then they could try and bring in Moffi.

The 22-year-old player is still only early in his career so has plenty of time to become even better and he has already managed some decent goal returns for his current club, with 16 goal contributions last season and five already this campaign.

He has a solid non-penalty xG return to boot - in fact, it's within nearly the top 20% for forwards within the top five big leagues - and the player also has excellent dribbling ability and can read a game well too despite his youth.

Even though Brexit rules have meant certain players can't make the move to England, Moffi would qualify and may also not cost much either.

He's likely to command a seven-figure fee for sure but if Brighton were to throw £20m at Blackburn for Brereton-Diaz, he may only cost a fee half of that amount.

Again, the player is not proven in the EFL or the Championship but his current record in Ligue 1 suggests he could certainly make the move and be a decent player for the club.