Blackburn Rovers boss Tony Mowbray has told the Lancashire Telegraph that reports linking Ben Brereton Diaz with an imminent move to Brighton & Hove Albion are false. 

Brereton Diaz has been Blackburn's leading man this season and now has 17 goals in his first 22 league games for the Lancashire side as they chase a play-off spot this season.

This has led to wide scale reports over where the forward's future may lie as his current contract continues to run down towards expiry, with Brighton being said to be close to striking a £20 million deal for the Chile international.

However Mowbray has now had his say on the rumours, with the Rovers boss stating the following on a player who is also said to be a target for Leeds United:

"I saw that, that is news to me. We've had no conversations with any club.

"We've had no contact about Brereton. I'd expect people to be interested in Ben Brereton, there is something wrong with their recruitment team if they're not but we would hope Ben sees this as his platform to help the club progress and him to keep scoring and enjoying his football as much as he does."

Rovers do have an option to extend Brereton Diaz's contract by a further 12 months should they wish to activate it, which means the club are somewhat relaxed about the situation regarding the player's future.

Meanwhile Blackburn are close to agreeing a new contract with Sam Gallagher, as per a report in the same publication.

The Verdict 

The club always knew that this sort of thing would crop up in and round January and it is something that they will have to grow used to as Brereton Diaz sees his reputation grow.

He is easily one of the most sought after prospects outside of the Premier League and is also sure to attract some interest from abroad due ton his exploits at international level for Chile.

His development as a player has been remarkable and he is sure to be destined to play in the top flight one day.

Whether he achieves that goal with Rovers or not remains to be seen, but they are giving it a good go this season with regards to potentially getting into the play-offs.