Blackburn Rovers are reported by Lancashire Live to be eyeing a triple contract agreement with a host of their key players after John Buckley signed fresh terms, with Joe Rankin-Costello, Joe Rothwell and Ryan Nyambe next on the club's list. 

All three players are viewed as key figures at Ewood Park, yet they all have contracts which are set to run their course come the summer of this year, thus raising the possibility of losing the trio for nothing.

The club are however said to hold 12-month extension options for both Rothwell and Nyambe, with the terms having been slotted into their current contracts.

Nyambe's agent is also said to have claimed that this extension will be triggered by Rovers, which suggests the defender should be staying put in Lancashire for another season at least.

Meanwhile Rankin-Costello is believed to be the one player out of the three that the club are most keen to tie down to fresh terms, with the versatile academy graduate having excelled at first team level for the Championship side.

The Verdict 

It is clear that Rovers and Tony Mowbray view these players as some of the base points for the squad's future development and for that reason they will be desperate to keep all three at the club.

Rothwell and Rankin-Costello continue to improve their all round games at first team level and will be hopeful of getting their side back to the Premier League this term after so many seasons away.

Whereas Nyambe has been in the first team picture for a few years now and given that his agent has claimed he's set to stay, I would say it's likely to be a forgone conclusion that he remains with Rovers.

The subject of these new contracts for their best players will no doubt be determined by where they finish in the league this season, with missing out on a play-off spot likely to spell danger for the club from a player retention perspective.