Rovers will continue their search for defensive reinforcements as they look set to miss out on Daniel Ayala.

Free agent Ayala is set to secure a move overseas, with Rovers now moving on from the 29-year-old Spaniard who had been identified as a target in their quest to add to their defensive ranks.

Rovers held talks with Ayala who had been a free agent after leaving Middlesbrough in June after six years, and 219 appearances, and looked to have secured an agreement, until late interest saw the move break down. 

Cedric Kipre had been another defensive target for Rovers, with the club agreeing a fee with the administrators at Wigan Athletic for the 23-year-old, only for West Brom to win the race for his signature.

That leaves Rovers still in the market for two new central defenders, but they face starting the season without any new signings at the back for the third successive year.

Meanwhile, two of their own defenders are attracting interest, with two MLS Clubs keen to sign Derrick Williams, with League One side Fleetwood Town looking to push through a move for Charlie Mulgrew.

The lack of incomings could see Scott Wharton, who played in a behind closed doors fixture yesterday having not featured in the pre-season friendly at Leicester, start on the opening day at Bournemouth.

The 22-year-old, who has spent the last three seasons out on loan, hasn’t played a Championship fixture for over four years, but did start the Carabao Cup win over Doncaster which was his first Rovers appearance since December 2017.

Rovers are looking to secure a new long-term partner for Darragh Lenihan who will return from his international commitments with the Republic of Ireland tomorrow.

Tosin Adarabioyo returned to Manchester City after a successful loan spell, with the 22-year-old facing an uncertain future at the Etihad, with only a year to run on his contract, but there are no indications that a return to Ewood Park is on the cards.

His signing last summer paved the way for Charlie Mulgrew to sign for Wigan Athletic on loan on deadline day in August 2019, however he cut short that spell to return to Rovers in January.

Since then however, he has featured in a matchday squad on just two occasions, starting only the 2-0 defeat at Barnsley in June, his 100th league appearance for the club.

He hasn’t featured for Rovers in any of the pre-season friendlies, and has become frustrated with his lack of match action.

The 34-year-old had been a target for Portsmouth last month, but the introduction of the League One salary cap ended their interest in Mulgrew who is under contract for another year.

Given his current wages, Rovers would either need to heavily subsidise a loan move, or come to an agreement with Mulgrew over the remaining months of his contract, allowing him to join Fleetwood as a free agent.

Mowbray has made no secret of his desire to strengthen in defence, and hinted a move was in the pipeline after the Carabao Cup win over Doncaster.

Speaking of a target, which transpired to be Ayala, he said: “I think we have got a level of agreement potentially with another signing but experience tells me ‘they want this, they want that’, or ‘we can’t quite do this’, or ‘we can’t quite do that’. The fine details of contracts at this level are difficult.

“Unless you are a club where money is no problem and you just get the job done, every pound we spend is important to us.”