Josh Maja is still to play for Bordeaux this season, after the collapse of his loan move to Rovers in the summer, but is nearing full fitness.

A back issue revealed during his medical saw Rovers pull the plug on a season-long loan move for the striker who returned to France.

He has remained on the sidelines since, but was named in the Bordeaux travelling party for their game against Troyes at the weekend.

However, he wasn’t named in the eventual 20-man matchday squad as they ran out 2-1 winners, victory that moved them above Troyes to 15th in the Ligue 1 table.

Maja, aged 22, hasn’t played a competitive game for Bordeaux since January, finishing last season on loan at Fulham where he scored three Premier League goals in 15 appearances.

He moved to Bordeaux in January 2019 from Sunderland and has since scored 11 goals in 48 appearances.

However, he finds himself out of favour with the French club who made him available for a loan move in the summer, with Rovers agreeing a deal only to see it fall down because of a fitness issue.

Their possible pursuit of him in next month’s transfer window will again come down to his fitness, though reports in France say Bordeaux would be open to a permanent move for a fee in the region of 4m Euros.

Suggestions that was a fee agreed with Nottingham Forest in the summer are understood to be wide of the mark.

Rovers have looked at Toulouse striker Rhys Healey, the 27-year-old having scored 11 goals in 17 Ligue 2 games, but Maja was the closest striker Rovers came to signing in January, with back-up options not materialising before the deadline.

Rovers have since lost Ian Poveda to injury leaving their attacking options further depleted, with the Maja pursuit likely to come into focus again next month.