This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict’ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Blackburn Rovers face a major battle to keep hold of Adam Armstrong this summer, with Southampton known to be admirers of the attacker.

The former Newcastle man, who hit 28 league goals last season, is entering the final year of his contract at Ewood Park, so an exit feels inevitable. And, it appears as though the Lancashire outfit are preparing for his departure, with The Sun claiming that Michael Obafemi is a target for Rovers.

Currently at Southampton, the update states that an agreement could be reached that would see some sort of swap deal happening.

But, would Obafemi be a good signing? Can he replace Armstrong? Here our writers share their thoughts...

Toby Wilding

I do think this has the potential to be a decent signing for Blackburn.

If Adam Armstrong is to leave Ewood Park this summer, it will be essential that Rovers replace his goals with another attacker, and with Southampton keen on the Rovers man, a swap deal here could certainly make sense.

That way, Blackburn would not have to them go out and find a replacement for Armstrong since they would already have one in Obafemi, while it would also reduce the pressure on them to force Southampton into paying a fee, since they would already have what they need some of that money for with Obafemi.

You also feel that having never quite going in the Premier League, Obafemi could benefit from a move to the Championship which could help unlock his potential, and his mobility means he could fill a similar sort of role to the one Armstrong carries out for Tony Mowbray's side.

Admittedly, Obafemi's injury record may be a slight concern, but with Armstrong's contract situation meaning time is running out for Blackburn to receive something for their star man, this could be something worth looking into for Rovers.

Jordan Rushworth

This would be an ideal potential signing for Blackburn to make and Michael Obafemi is a player that does have the potential to develop into someone that can be a reliable goalscorer.

However, Rovers should be cautious that as of yet he has not been able to show that in his career because he has had to bide his time for chances to feature for Southampton.

Blackburn have shown with their development of Adam Armstrong that they can get the best out of players in the final third with potential and they are a side that have been creating plenty of chances for their forwards over the last two seasons. Therefore, Obafemi could do worse than making a move to Ewood Park to try and get his career really up and running.

Losing Armstrong seems inevitable really this summer unfortunately for Blackburn, and as a result, they will need to sign a new forward. If they sell their star player to Southampton then Obafemi is a decent enough option to bring in, but I would doubt whether he can replace the amount of goals he brought to the team.

Billy Mulley

Replacing Adam Armstrong would be no mean feat and 28 goals in a Championship season is something of brilliance.

However, Obafemi operates in a similar fashion to Armstrong, with pace and intelligent movement playing huge parts in both their games. Blackburn have a number of technicians who know that Armstrong will be on his way when they receive possession in attacking scenarios, and that is something that Obafemi could benefit from.

The 21-year-old has shown plenty of promise when called upon at Southampton, but has seen game time limited because of Danny Ings' excellence and Che Adams' rapid improvement.

The fact that Obafemi spent the vast majority of last season injured does raise red flags though. Armstrong provided his service consistently, and with the amount of time Obafemi was sidelined for, it may be deemed too risky of a move.

It is safe to say that if Armstrong does depart, then whoever has the task of filling his boots will need to thrive under pressure.