Tony Mowbray says Rovers’ work in the transfer market is ongoing despite the expected changes to the recruitment department.

Rovers lost head of recruitment Stuart Harvey to Sunderland, but the processes the Northern Irishman helped put in place have continued behind the scenes as the club work to finalise his replacement.

The club accounts for the year to June 2020 are yet to be published, and must be before the end of this month, if Rovers are to be compliant with Profit and Sustainability Rules, but those of parent company Venky’s London Limited to March 2020 showed losses of almost £21million.

The coffers could well be helped by the possible sale of star man Adam Armstrong, which would be a welcome boost to the budget, which was agreed with the owners before the end of the season.

Rovers released five players which will ease the wage budget, as will the return of the five players who finished the season on loan.

And although Rovers are without a head of recruitment, and the transfer window does not officially open until June 9, work is continuing behind the scenes as Rovers look to strengthen their squad ahead of next season.

“We’ve already discussed what the budget is, what it might be, where the holes in the team are with the loans going back and the out of contract players who will be leaving,” the manager said.

“We’ve discussed that, recruitment has been happening. I know we’ve lost Stuart Harvey but recruitment has continued on a daily basis and will do throughout the summer. That job never stops and that’s been the same since I’ve been a manager and it will continue.

“Sometimes you get deals done earlier, others are right at the last minute, and generally that’s because players and their agents are trying to find the best possible deal for them and every player has got a different agenda whether it’s financial, geographical, the ambition of the club. A manager generally spends a lot of time talking to prospective signings.”

Meanwhile, SC Freiburg left back Chima Okoroji has been offered to the club as a potential left back option.

Rovers have scouted the German second division, where he has been playing on loan for SC Paderborn in the last year.

Okoroji has an English passport thanks to his mum being from Liverpool which would smooth over any concerns over eligibility, with Stoke City, along with Rovers, said to be weighing up a possible deal, with Freiburg open to a sale.

The 24-year-old played 17 times last season for Paderborn but wasn’t a regular in the side.

During his career, which started out in the youth ranks of Bayern Munich, he has played for second tier side SSV Jahn Regensburg, making 32 appearances in 2019/20, but has struggled to make an impact with Freiburg.