Blackburn Rovers: Frustrations developing in Sammie Szmodics, Ipswich Town talks
Blackburn Rovers have become frustrated with the time that negotiations are taking with Premier League returnees Ipswich Town for Sammie Szmodics, as John Eustace’s side refuse to budge on the price-tag for their talisman.
BBC reporter Nick Mashiter has reported that the Lancashire side aren’t happy with how long talks with the Tractor Boys over a prospective deal for last season’s Championship top scorer has taken.
Alan Nixon had previously stated that Blackburn had set a deadline at the end of July for bids for their star man from both Town and Leeds United – who are no longer believed to be in the running according to the Yorkshire Evening Post – as they would want ample time to be able to replace him, which would be quite a task considering he directly contributed 16 points to their tally last time out.
Ipswich opened the bidding proceedings for Szmodics when they offered £6 million for his services, according to the East Anglian Daily Times. This fell way short of Rovers’ reportedly desired fee of £20 million, and the offer was rejected.
With the increasing speculation about his future, and his club’s seeming willingness to try and get a deal done sooner rather than later, if he is to go, a departure for Szmodics is looking more likely.
He does want to play Premier League football, and Blackburn aren’t going to stand in his way, although they have been previously said to be keen on offering him new and improved terms, as per Nixon.
The Lancashire Telegraph reported, in mid-June, that the attacker was happy at Ewood Park, and that a new contract was not off the table, but with just over a month to go in the
Blackburn Rovers frustrated with Ipswich Town, Sammie Szmodics talks
Rovers aren’t happy with the length of time that the negotiations between themselves and Kieran McKenna’s side have taken, as per Mashiter.
Talks between the two parties have apparently been going on for more than two weeks, and they look to have not gone very far as Ipswich are unwilling to pay an inflated fee for the 28-year-old.
Going to Ipswich would be closer to home for Szmodics, who was born in Colchester, and it would give him the chance to play in the top flight of English football for the very first time.
His astonishing numbers from last season, where he racked up 27 goals for a side that narrowly avoided relegation, were a bit of an anomaly compared to the rest of his career though, where his previous season high – in a domestic league – was 15.
Blackburn Rovers have a very tough Sammie Szmodics decision on their hands
Blackburn are stuck between a rock and a hard place. They need to decide whether they want to offload Szmodics and receive what will likely be an eight-figure fee, which will in turn let go of their saviour from last season, or whether to hope that he can produce similar numbers next season when the past doesn’t suggest that he will.
Rovers have made good money from sales recently. £18 million up-front was what they got from Crystal Palace in January for Adam Wharton, and the deal that saw David Raya join Arsenal permanently also netted them another £5 million, so money might not be a good enough incentive on its own to let him go.
What will make their decision on whether to compromise on their price point is their faith in him to play at the level that he did last season again next time out. That will be the sticking point that decides their actions, and it’s certainly not an easy call to make.