TONY Mowbray remains coy on the identity of his Rovers targets but insists permanent deals are his priority in the January transfer window.

An Ewood return for former Rovers skipper Jason Lowe, currently at Birmingham, as well as a move for Newcastle striker Adam Armstrong have been mooted in the last week.

However, Mowbray would prefer to add permanent signings with Fleetwood full-back Amari’i Bell one player Rovers are looking to bring in.

Mowbray is hopeful of securing Paul Downing on a long-term deal in the coming days, with the defender currently on loan from MK Dons.

Marcus Antonsson and Harry Chapman are the club’s other two loan players, but both are currently sidelined by injury.

With Corry Evans and Peter Whittingham adding their names to the absentee list the Rovers squad is in need of strengthening.

Rovers have money to spend and Mowbray told the Lancashire Telegraph: “There are lots of players on the radar.”

“We’re having lots of conversations with different people and we will see what falls in place.

“I don’t want to talk about one specific target, what I would say about the forward area is that Danny Graham was excellent when he came on (against Hull City).

“He used his experience and all the other strikers have scored goals when you look at the breakdown of goals that we have scored.

“I would like to strengthen all areas.

“I have told the club that ultimately I would like to strengthen with players that we sign rather than loans because I want to try and build the club. This is an opportunity to build the club and sign players of the right quality and age rather than if we were to get promoted, how we are going to change things around to get better quality.

“We want to try and sign players rather than loan them.”

Armstrong was recalled by his parent club Newcastle last week having spent the opening six months of this season with Championship side Bolton Wanderers.

He scored three times in 23 outings with Rovers having pursued the 20-year-old in the summer before he moved to the Macron Stadium.

The striker is well known to Mowbray having scored 20 times under his tutelage at Coventry City in 2015/16.

Lowe meanwhile was released by Rovers in the summer but has struggled for opportunities at St Andrew’s, not helped by a hamstring injury.

But with Rovers’ options stretched in the middle of the park, he could be seen as an option on a temporary deal.

Mowbray says additions will arrive in January but when asked if any new faces are likely to arrive before Saturday’s game with promotion rivals Shrewsbury Town, he said: “We have to strengthen the team if we can but, as I’ve said, it’s not easy.

“Hopefully we will come out of this transfer window with a stronger group than we started.

“It doesn’t matter to me whether it’s before next week, so long as we come out of the transfer window stronger.

“I’ve said to the lads in the dressing they have got us where we are. I’m not bringing in players to replace anyone I’m trying to bring them in to be deeper when the injuries come along.”