Blackburn Rovers are set to face a potentially vital summer as Tony Mowbray’s side are set to finish in mid-table in the Championship after what has been an underwhelming campaign.

Rovers have seen their form drop off during the second half of the season and their hopes of threatening a potential push for the play-offs in the Championship have long been extinguished. That will mean that the pressure will be on Mowbray at the start of next term to have his side in contention for a place in the top-six and they will need to improve their consistency.

There are a number of major dilemmas facing Mowbray in the summer, with a lot of players currently heading into the final few weeks of their current deals with the club. While there are also one or two of their key players who might well be attracting the interests of other clubs. They will need to get the decisions over their futures right if they are to progress.

With that in mind, we take a look at eight players who Rovers might be set to either sell or release in the forthcoming summer transfer window. Click ‘next’ to scroll through the list…

Kicking off this list is Adam Armstrong and it looks increasingly likely that Rovers are going to have to cash in on the forward in the summer with him heading into the final year of his existing contract.

Blackburn will be well aware of the fact that Newcastle United will be due a sell-on fee of around 40% of any money that the club manage to bring in for the forward.

Armstrong is thought to be a potential target for the Magpies, who could reportedly take advantage of the sell-on clause situation to make a move for him cheaper than any other side. While West Ham are also still thought to be interested in making a move for the striker this summer, after contemplating making an £8 million bid for him in the winter window.

The 21-goal forward is also thought to be interesting Everton as well, which means that there is sure to be a potential bidding war for him in the summer. Keeping hold of Armstrong looks like it is going to be too big of a task for Rovers.

Another Blackburn player that looks likely to be heading for the exit door is Harry Chapman when he returns to Ewood Park from his successful loan spell with Shrewsbury Town.

He has managed to fire in six goals and provided one assist during his 16 appearances in League One since he arrived there in the January transfer window.

Injuries have limited the impact that Chapman has been able to have for Blackburn and the 230year-old is now set to be out of contract in the summer. However, Mowbray had suggested that the club do hold an option on him to extend his deal by a further year and he indicated that he would be wanting that option to be exercised by the club.

However, according to the Daily Mail Blackburn are going to allow him to leave the club on a free transfer in the summer. That suggests that Mowbray will have to find a way of replacing him if he thought that he was going to return and play a part in the first-team squad next term.

Another Blackburn player that could be heading for the exit door in the summer is Stewart Downing with the veteran heading into the last part of the deal he signed in November to re-sign for the club after he had been one of the players they let go last summer.

Downing has been an important member of the squad once again, but he has not been able to have the same sort of impact on the side that he had last term. He has managed to make just two starts and 16 appearances in the Championship compared with the 38 starts he made for them last season.

He continues to be a useful player for Mowbray to call upon for his experience and his quality on the ball from dead-ball situations in particular. However, at the age of 36-year-old it would be a surprise to see Rovers look to offer him another deal in the summer and it looks likely this time he will leave the club for good.

Another player that looks likely to be heading for the exit door in the summer at Ewood Park is club captain Elliott Bennett, who is also entering into the final stages of his current contract with the club.

Bennett has endured an injury-hit campaign that has also struggled to get into the side ahead of Ryan Nyambe when he has been fully fit. That has seen him be limited to just six appearances in the Championship so far this campaign, compared with the 41 he managed last term. The 32-year-old is still a good player to have in and around the dressing room though at Ewood Park.

It has been reported that Bennett is of interest to Shrewsbury Town who are weighing up a move for at the end of the campaign should he be made available by Rovers. He would be a very useful option for any side in the English third tier to call upon and most Blackburn fans would wish him well were he to leave.

Another player facing an uncertain future at Ewood Park this summer is Ryan Nyambe, with the right-back another player heading into the final stages of his existing contract although it has been reported that they do hold a potential option on his deal.

It has also been reported though that Rovers are resigned to losing the defender in the summer, with them having hoped they could agree a new long-term deal with him. However, Nyambe is now thought to be attracting interest from some Championship sides monitoring his situation and ready to potentially test the resolves of Mowbray’s side.

Losing Nyambe would be a potential major blow for Rovers, and it would leave them needing to bring in a new first choice right back in the summer. He would not be an easy player to replace so they might hope that they can still turn around the situation and convince him to stay.

This seems like one of the most obvious players that is almost certain to be heading for a release at the end of the campaign by Blackburn, with the experienced defender also entering the final few stages of his deal.

Mulgrew it has to be said played a pivotal role in helping Blackburn get back into the Championship during that 2017/18 campaign, where he managed to score 14 goals and provide four assists in League One. He then scored another ten goals in 29 Championship appearances in 2018/19, but he fell out of favour last term and was even sent out on loan to Wigan Athletic.

This season, Mulgrew has been loaned out to League One Fleetwood Town where he has made 23 appearances to date. It does not appear he has any future at Blackburn when he returns from that loan spell at the end of the campaign. The 35-year-old you feel needs to find a new home.

This is a difficult decision that Blackburn are going to have make this summer, with Lewis Holtby clearly a player that has plenty to offer them were they to decide to extend his deal which is set to expire at the end of the campaign.

Holtby has seen his influence at Blackburn somewhat affected by injury issues at times, but has still managed to make 26 appearances so far this term after managing three goals and four assists in 27 games last term. He suggested in March on his return from injury that he was eager to try and get back to his best and be a key player for them for the remainder of the campaign.

Given Bradley Dack has suffered another serious injury and so Blackburn could do with Holtby in the squad next term to try and be that spark for them in the middle of the park. However, Rovers will need to weigh up whether they can rely on him to remain injury-free and produce his best form consistently.

Rounding off this list is Bradley Johnson, with the experienced midfielder another one of the group of players who are set to be out of contract when the season finishes.

Johnson has proven to be a solid option for Blackburn when they brought him into the club in the summer of 2019 after he had left Derby County. The midfielder managed to make 34 appearances and managed to score three goals and provide two assists last term, and he has made 28 appearances for Rovers in the Championship so far this campaign.

The 33-year-old has not always been a regular starter for Rovers this season, but he has been in the starting line-up in recent weeks and he is still the sort of player that could be a useful option for them have next term. It will be a tough call for them to make then over whether to extend his deal.