Stoke City are prepared to allow midfielder Sam Clucas to leave the Bet365 Stadium on a free transfer in the summer transfer window amid interest from Blackburn Rovers, according to The Sun on Sunday (09/05/21, p59).

Clucas has seen his overall impact at Stoke this season affected by injury issues, but he has still been able to make 24 appearances in the Championship for them in which he has registered two goals and provided three assists.

That comes off the back of him managing to score an impressive tally of 11 league goals in 44 matches in the 2019/20 campaign.

However, the former Hull City and Swansea City ace is currently heading into the final stages of his existing deal with the Potters.

It is therefore being reported by The Sun on Sunday (09/05/21, p59) that Michael O’Neill is prepared to allow him to leave the club, if he can find a new side in the next few weeks. That comes with him being one of their highest earners at the moment.

According to the same report, there is interest emerging in the midfielder from the Championship and one of the sides that are believed to be potentially interested in him are Blackburn Rovers. It will therefore potentially be an interesting transfer battle to see where he will end up at the start of next season.

The Verdict

This would be an excellent signing for Blackburn to make this summer, with Clucas a very good performer at Championship level and still having a lot of years left at a high level with him only having just entered his 30s. He is a player that can weigh in with vital goals in the midfielder area that can make a major difference for any side in the division.

Blackburn are going to have to potentially rely more on their squad for goals next term, with Armstrong likely to be leaving the club after his prolific campaign. Therefore, Clucas could be an ideal option to bring into the side with his ability to score goals from either a central or wide attacking role within a side.

He would be a major loss for Stoke, but given they need to shift out some of their high earners and he has been injured at times this season then you can understand why they would let him leave. However, he would be a player that they would have to work hard to try and replace.