Blackburn Rovers boss Jon Dahl Tomasson has admitted there's a "good chance" Ben Brereton Diaz will be leaving Ewood Park on the expiration of his contract in the summer, speaking to Lancs Live.

The Chilean has been the subject of a huge amount of interest from elsewhere in the past couple of years, turning heads during the early stages of the 2021/22 campaign when he managed to fill the void created by Adam Armstrong's departure extremely well.

He has also established himself as an important international player for Chile and has managed to continue impressing this term, recording 11 goals and four assists in 33 league appearances.

 

 

That isn't as impressive as the 22 league goals he managed to score last season - but that hasn't deterred other sides from taking an interest in him with Villarreal believed to have tabled a five-year contract offer in their attempt to lure him away from Lancashire.

The Spanish outfit are able to tie him down to a pre-contract deal because he has just a few months remaining on his current terms at Blackburn, who look set to lose him when the summer comes along.

Although a deal hasn't been signed and sealed at this point, Tomasson is almost resigned to losing him with plenty of clubs likely to be competing for his signature in the summer even if he doesn't sign a pre-contract agreement.

He said: "There is nothing official. I don't think so. We know Ben will try and perform for us.

"Everyone knows that there is a good chance he will be going. If they didn't have that feeling, they haven't been listening at all."

The Verdict:

It would make sense for the Chilean to move on in the summer because he's likely to have plenty of attractive offers on the table.

However, Blackburn may give themselves hope of retaining him if they can win promotion at the end of the season, something that's still a possibility considering they are firmly in the promotion mix.

Their setback against Stoke City on Friday evening was a blow but they have a great opportunity to get back on track this evening against Reading, who have a terrible record away from home.

Even with promotion a possibility, Gregg Broughton and other key figures behind the scenes need to ensure that they have a strong contingency plan in place to deal with the forward's likely departure.

That will give them the best chance of being able to replace him adequately and with that, it will increase their chances of being successful next season and beyond.

Other Blackburn stars have stepped up to the plate and performed well this season though, something that bodes well for the future if he does leave.