Rovers were ready to move in the transfer market on this day in summers gone by, with defenders top of the priority list.

Sam Allardyce was lining up Gael Givet as his first summer signing in 2009, as Rovers looked to turn his loan move from Marseille in to a permanent switch, for a fee in the region of £3.5million.

In 2003, the enigmatic Lorenzo Amoruso was bound for Ewood Park after a u-turn from Rangers saw them accept Rovers’ offer of £1.25m for the Italian.

Rovers officials confirmed negotiations were “progressing” and were confident of striking a deal for the defender.

And manager Graeme Souness was poised to make it a double swoop with a fee for Vratislav Gresko agreed with his club Parma.

As ever in the transfer market, there was also talk of outgoings.

Lucas Neill was putting contract talks on hold as he headed for the 2006 World Cup in Germany with Australia.

The full back had been offered a new three-year deal by Rovers, with Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United monitoring his situation, with just 12 months to run on his current deal.

And agent Peter Harrison explained that it could be pre-season before Neill decided upon whether to commit his future to the club.

In 2002, Henning Berg was weighing up his Rovers future, as he mulled over offer of an extension to his contract.

Berg had been given a week to decide on his future, with his place having come under threat from England Under 21 international Martin Taylor and Swedish defender Nissa Johansson, while Rovers were in the process of completing an £800,000 move for Charlton defender Andy Todd.

Two years earlier, Christian Dailly was a transfer target for La Liga club Celta Vigo, though chief executive John Williams outlined there had been no official

contact. Signed from Derby County 20 months earlier for £5.25m, the Spanish side were thought to be preparing a £4m offer for the Scotland international.

Souness was believed to be willing to let half a dozen of his squad go as he prepared for a tilt at promotion back to the Premier League, but Williams wouldn’t be drawn on their identity.

That came as Middlesbrough, Everton and Manchester City were being linked with a move for Rovers skipper Lee Carsley who ended the 1999/2000 season as top scorer.

Rovers weren’t short of competition in midfield, with Garry Flitcroft, David Dunn, Per Frandsen and Billy McKinlay all in the squad, while the club also distanced themselves from reports linking them with a £500,000 move for Middlesbrough’s Neil Maddison who worked with Souness at Southampton.

There was some concrete contract news on this day in 2007, as midfield maestro Tugay put pen to paper on a 12-month extension at Ewood Park, having seen his previous deal set to expire.

Approaching 37, the Turk remained a key part of Mark Hughes’ plans. However, Franny Jeffers and Andy Todd had both been told they were free to leave the club, should an acceptable offer be made for their services.

But that certainly wasn’t the case in 2008 when Hughes remained adamant that David Bentley would remain a Rovers player, regardless of whether he signed a new contract.

The England midfielder was linked with big-money moves away from Ewood Park, though Hughes said there was no truth in national newspaper reports that he had told Bentley the club would sell him should he not agree to a new deal.

“We’ll probably have to put up with a lot of speculation about David’s situation over the summer, but I’ve said it so many times now that I’m sure everyone is clear about my view on it,” said Hughes. “Some people in the papers are trying to say that we’ve actually stated a price that we’d accept, but that isn’t the case – it’s inaccurate.”