Blackburn Rovers could be blown away by Birmingham City and Wrexham with key players reluctant to commit

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Blackburn Rovers have a lot of work to do this summer in the transfer market, but persuading key players to stick around could be the hardest task of all.

When Valerien Ismael came into the Blackburn job earlier this year, he inherited a fairly strong squad, but that squad is about to be weakened this summer.

We already know Tyrhys Dolan is likely to depart at the end of his contract this month, and other big names could well be following him out of the club.

With the summer transfer window set to open again tomorrow, Blackburn will have to resist approaches from other clubs for both Lewis Travis and Callum Brittain.

• READ MORE: Every incoming and outgoing at Blackburn Rovers in the summer transfer window

Lewis Travis and Callum Brittain stall on new Blackburn deals

It emerged last week that Wrexham were keen on Travis, and the Blackburn club captain appears to be open to the idea of making the move.

Now, as per Alan Nixon on Patreon, Blackburn are “struggling” to get Travis to agree to a new contract despite offering him a new three-year deal to stay at Ewood Park.

That’s because he’s keen on securing a “big money” offer from Wrexham, and Blackburn are thought to be ready to let him go if they can get a deal in place with the Red Dragons for just over £2m.

Birmingham City are also keen on Travis and could rival their former League One rivals for the signature of the 27-year-old.

His teammate, Brittain, is also entering the final year of his contract and could be walking away this summer after demanding a substantial increase on his terms.

• READ MORE: Wrexham can cause further damage to Sheffield Wednesday this summer by pulling off major coup

Blackburn Rovers could be set for a difficult season in 2025/26

The fact that Wrexham could break their transfer record this summer, be it with the signing of Travis or another player, speaks volumes for the ambition being shown by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

Birmingham have warned their Championship rivals of their intentions in the transfer market already, too. It’s likely that the Blues will be pushing for promotion in 2025/26, something Blackburn can only dream of.

While the Lancashire club came close to grabbing a play-off spot at the end of 2024/25, it does feel like that purple patch was more a flash in the pan than any sign of significant success coming in the future.

We’re very unlikely to see Blackburn make any expensive signings this summer, especially given the current problems with investment behind the scenes at Ewood Park.

Obviously, anything can happen in the Championship. But we’d be very surprised if Blackburn have much luck next season unless they keep hold of Travis and Brittain, and bolster their ranks with new signings.