Blackburn Rovers have been offered the chance to sign Swansea City defender Joel Latibeaudiere once his contract at the Swans expires next month, according to reports.
The Doncaster-born defender recently turned down a new contract with the Welsh outfit and is now set to leave on a free transfer on July 1st. In an effort to find a new club, the 23-year-old has been offered to Rovers, as well as several other clubs.
What's the latest Blackburn Rovers transfer news?
Rovers have quite a bit of work cut out for them this summer, being tasked with replacing several key members of the squad as Ben Brereton Diaz, Bradley Dack and Daniel Ayala are all set to depart the club once their contracts expire next month.
Having acted quickly, Jon Dahl Tomasson's side have already signed a new striker, bringing Plymouth Argyle's Niall Ennis through the doors at the end of May, and they aren't finished there.
The former Premier League champions have also been linked with Queens Park Rangers striker Lyndon Dykes and the Lancashire Telegraph has now reported that the club have now been offered the chance to sign Latibeaudiere, once the defender becomes a free-agent at the end of the month.
Will Joel Latibeaudiere sign with Blackburn Rovers?
If Rovers are to make a move for the Jamaica international, then they're going to face stiff competition to get a deal over the line. The 23-year-old gem has been offered to several other Championship sides as well, whilst newly-promoted Luton Town are also said to be targeting him.
Labelled as "amazing" and "incredible" by his Swansea boss Russell Martin, the 37-year-old revealed in April how desperate he was for the full-back to sign a new deal with the club, also claiming that he is "athletically he's one of the best we have" at the club.
Latibeaudiere, who was once a member of the Manchester City academy, played 37 times for the Swans this season, where he averaged 1.3 tackles and 0.9 clearances per game for the club, whilst he also produced two goals and three assists from primarily a right-back role, demonstrating an ability to positively impact the game on an offensive level as well.
As a pivotal member of Martin's side that prioritised a possession-based style of football, the versatile 23-year-old dynamo – who can also play centrally – would have no trouble fitting into Tomasson's system, with Rovers employing a similar style of play this year.
As it was previously reported that the Lancashire club will need to sell to generate transfer funds this summer, the opportunity to sign an established Championship-level defender like Latibeaudiere may be too good an offer to pass up on, but with several other sides also sizing him up, they'll need to act quickly if they're to stand a chance of getting him through the door.
