Blackburn Rovers are closing in on their second summer signing after agreeing a deal to sign Portuguese midfielder Sidnei Tavares.
Valerien Ismael's side return for pre-season on Monday and the recruitment drive is stepping up at Ewood Park to bolster his squad.
Having added Dion De Neve earlier this month and extending Adam Forshaw's contract for another season, Tavares will be their next addition.
Rovers always wanted to add another midfielder, with a box-to-box, athletic profile desired by Ismael. Tavares, 23, looks to fit the bill.
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A deal, reported to be around £2million, has been struck with Primeira Liga side Moreirense. The former Leicester City man will fly over for a medical to sign a long-term contract at Ewood Park.
Tavares made 29 appearances for Moreirense last season in the top flight of Portuguese football. To lure him to The Championship seems to be a coup given his standing.
The 23-year-old has experience in England, after coming through the ranks at Leicester City. He made two appearances for the senior team before moving to Porto in 2021, predominantly playing for their B team.
After a loan at Colorado Rapids in Major League Soccer, this has been his breakthrough season after signing for Moreirense last summer.
He has played predominantly as a holding midfielder, which will give Rovers another strong option alongside Sondre Tronstad and Lewis Travis.
Whilst there is speculation around the long-term future of the midfield pair, with one year left on their deals, Rovers always wanted to add another midfielder on top of their options. They are seen as a key part of Ismael's squad and the club want to keep them.
However, until either or both sign new deals, there will be doubts as to whether Tavares is a replacement. With Forshaw also recruited, they now have six options in central midfield.
John Buckley was out of favour at the end of last season whilst Jake Garrett's loans at Bristol Rovers and Tranmere Rovers didn't set the world alight. Joe Rankin-Costello can also play that role but struggled for minutes under Ismael too.
It feels likely that Rovers will look to offload those that may not feature heavily in that position, whether that's via a loan or permanent exit.
Forshaw's return will offer the squad some much-needed experience, with Danny Batth and Andi Weimann not signed up to new deals. Both are still anticipated to join Derby County, which would leave a hole in the squad.
Rovers haven't made any progress on advancing a deal for centre-back targets Modibo Sagnan or Mickael Nade. Rovers were hopeful of securing the former several weeks ago but the transfer has not progressed as they'd hoped with the player keen to see if Premier League interest emerges.
Legia Warsaw’s Steve Kapuadi is another name on their shortlist but any deal has not gone beyond the interest stage. The same for winger Casper Terho, who has been linked in overseas media this week.
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