Dominic Samuel has been linked with a move north of the border this month.

Samuel is short of football this season having overcome a long-term knee injury that ruled him out for 13 months.

He has netted eight times in eight games for the Under-23s, and has been on the bench in recent weeks for the senior side.

But two appearances off the bench, against Luton in September and Nottingham Forest the following month, remain his only match minutes for the first-team since suffering the knee ligament injury in August 2018.

The 25-year-old is in to the final six months of his contract at Ewood Park and could be allowed to leave to get games under his belt for the remainder of the campaign.

The Edinburgh News suggests Hearts, keen to add to their strikeforce this month, have identified Samuel as a target this month.

Manager Daniel Stendel is said to want five new players this month to help his side who are five points adrift at the bottom of the table.

Tony Mowbray has confirmed enquiries have been made about some of Rovers' fringe and first-team players this month, but is reluctant to sanction arrivals until new faces arrive.

Asked about Samuel, an unused substitute in Rovers' FA Cup defeat to Birmingham last weekend, Mowbray said: “At this moment no-one will be going anywhere until we’ve got some players back fit. They all know that.

“I’ve talked to them about football and how you have to look after your own careers, work hard every day, and improve every aspect of your game on the training ground.

“The ones who haven’t been playing very much, as I always say in football, that’s not my fault.

“I pick a team and they have to work harder than the other guy, work harder in training to show they’re desperate to play not sulk if they don’t play.”