Blackburn Rovers eyeing Crystal Palace transfer agreement
Reports on Sunday suggest that Blackburn Rovers are keen on Crystal Palace midfielder Scott Banks.
- Blackburn Rovers are keen on Crystal Palace midfielder Scott Banks.
- Blackpool were reportedly set to sign the youngster for £500,000 last week before Blackpool enquired.
- Blackburn are said to be eyeing a loan move with a view to eventually making it permanent.
- Despite plenty of concerning off-field updates recently, Blackburn Rovers were able to put all of that aside for 90 minutes on Saturday afternoon when they got their Championship season underway.
- Taking on West Brom at home, Rovers got their season off to a winning start, defeating the Baggies 2-1.
Fortunately for Rovers, a quickfire two-minute brace from Dilan Markanday and Harry Leonard was enough to render Matt Phillips’ second half goal as nothing more than a consolation for the visiting side at Ewood Park.
Of course, Blackburn will not rest on their laurels despite that win, with Jon Dahl Tomasson and those at the club no doubt continuing to assess their options when it comes to strengthening the Blackburn squad.
What is the latest Blackburn Rovers transfer news?
According to reports emerging on Sunday, Blackburn Rovers are now eyeing a ‘surprise target’ in the transfer market this summer.
That player, according to Alan Nixon via Patreon, is Crystal Palace winger Scott Banks.
Fascinatingly, Nixon claims that just last week, Banks was due to head to Blackpool for a £500,000 fee, but then Rovers made an enquiry for the Scotsman.
It is now expected, Nixon reports, that Blackburn will make an initial loan bid for the player, with a view to a permanent transfer next summer.
Who is Scott Banks?
As touched upon above, Scott Banks is a young Scottish player currently on the books at Crystal Palace.
That has not always been the case, though, with the youngster’s career having started up in Scotland at Dundee United.
Whilst at Dundee United, Banks had a loan spell at Clyde FC, making 15 appearances for the club during that loan spell.
Ironically, this was 11 more than he would make for Dundee United, with Banks departing for Crystal Palace having played just four times at senior level for the club.
For Palace, Banks is yet to make his senior debut, but has had two further loan spells since his arrival at Selhurst Park.
The first of these was at Dunfermline Athletic and the second came last season at Bradford City.
For the League Two outfit in 2022/23, Banks made a total of 36 appearances in all competitions. During those matches, he scored six goals and registered six assists.
Would Scott Banks be a good signing for Blackburn Rovers?
This is a very difficult question to answer at this stage.
Looking at the numbers, he seemingly did well in League Two last season, albeit not spectacularly, but does that mean he is ready for Championship football?
Given the reported budget cuts at Blackburn Rovers, you would think the club would be prioritising shrewd signings that can contribute to the first team instantly and have an immediate impact at Ewood Park.
Whilst down the line Banks’ addition could certainly turn out to be shrewd, it’s unclear just what impact he could have at senior level for Blackburn for this season.
A loan deal with an option to buy, rather than a permanent one, would be a good move in that sense, allowing Blackburn to really see what they would be getting in the Scotsman before committing to buying him.
