ROVERS boss Tony Mowbray is to step up his summer recruitment and hopes to have new faces in the door at Ewood Park within the next ‘couple of weeks’.

Rovers are keen to bring in out-of-contract Cardiff City midfielder Peter Whittingham but the 32-year-old does have interest from Championship clubs and an offer on the table from the Bluebirds as he weighs up his future.

Mowbray and assistant boss Mark Venus have already discussed transfer targets despite the latter only being appointed just over a week ago and Mowbray having recently returned from a family holiday.

And the Ewood chief, who has made strengthening in midfield and up front his key priority ahead of the League One season, said the hard work was well under way.

He told the Lancashire Telegraph: “It is not easy at this stage of the season.

“A lot of people are on holiday and when you do speak to people and agents then quite often they will play you off against someone else and barter, so it is still early days and is difficult to get deals done.

“But we have been working hard and hopefully we will have some positive news for the supporters in the next couple of weeks.”

A deal for Whittingham would be seen as an encouraging statement by Mowbray who released centre midfielders Jason Lowe, Hope Akpan and Danny Guthrie at the end of last season.

The trio were among six first-team players to leave Ewood Park meaning Rovers have just 15 players under contract.

Connor Mahoney has been offered a new deal by the club but is set to leave with Nottingham Forest leading the chase for the 20-year-old wide-man.

Scottish Premiership champions Celtic have also been linked with a move for the midfielder who made 21 appearances for Rovers last season.

Any move north of the border would be bad news for Rovers with cross-border compensation fees generally lower than those that an English club would pay.

Celtic, who went through the entire 2016-17 season unbeaten in completing a treble, would be able to offer Mahoney a chance to play Champions League football.

Mahoney joined Rovers from Accrington Stanley in 2013 and has made 24 appearances for the club.