Tony Mowbray reiterated that Rovers didn’t receive an offer for Adam Armstrong in the January window amid mounting speculation over the top scorer’s future.

Brighton were added to long-time admirers West Ham in being credited with interest in Armstrong over the weekend, with a reported £25m valuation placed on the 24-year-old who has scored 20 goals this season.

Armstrong has just over a year left on his contract meaning this summer is the best chance Rovers will have to receive anywhere close to the valuation they have of a player who joined for £1.75m from Newcastle United in 2018, unless he signs a new deal.

While Mowbray has previously said he wouldn’t stand in the way of a player should Premier League interest arise, he says there can be varying circumstances that can dictate the future of any player.

Armstrong missed the weekend win over Millwall and will sit out tomorrow’s visit of Swansea City, and Mowbray says the striker’s future will depend upon what the summer brings.

“We want to keep all of our best players,” he said.

“I’ve said that I hope all of our young players re-sign and if they don’t, that’s part and parcel of football.

“I’ve used the example of Kieron Dyer when I was at Ipswich, he got sold and the team got promoted the next season.

“You don’t want to sell your best players but sometimes there’s a necessity, sometimes there’s a bid that comes in that you can’t turn down, 1) for the club because you can invest the money in other areas of the pitch that might be strengthening and 2) because of the relationship you have with the player and you want them to play at the highest level.

“You must have empathy with your footballers at times yet you hope they have loyalty to the football club that’s given them the chance and platform to show their talent.

“Let’s wait and see. The phone didn’t ring in the January window. He’s picked up a little knock, he’s got 20 goals, let’s hope he can get over 25 goals by the end of the season and let’s see what the summer brings.”