Good news : He is back.
Blackburn Rovers resigned to losing Callum Brittain
Callum Brittain looks set to leave Blackburn Rovers after Valerien Ismael confirmed he refused to play against Accrington Stanley.
The right-back has been the subject of bids from Middlesbrough and Derby County this week. As a result, he opted against featuring in the first pre-season match of the summer.
Rovers have made a contract offer to Brittain. Whilst that hasn’t been flatly refused, it hasn’t been accepted either. The player has made it clear he would like to speak to Middlesbrough, who are winning the race for his signature.
A fee has not been agreed between Rovers and any club at the time of writing. However, it feels like a matter of time before a deal is struck with Brittain making his intentions clear.
“We’ve got an offer on the table. Callum decided not to play today on his own,” Ismael said.
“He took this decision. So I spoke with him. I said we can let this game pass but from next week, we hope to have clarity.
“We can’t do this every week. In the next few days, we will see what is happening. It’s clear that some clubs are very interested, especially one that is very interested in Callum. Nothing has been agreed yet.
“The clubs need to understand that Callum is a significant player for us, for me personally as well. So we don’t want to let him go. But it’s clear that, financially, the club needs to make a deal because of his contract.
“If the players still have a one-year contract, we have to learn from the situation, what’s happened with Tyrhys Dolan. Now we’re chasing the situation after mistakes from the past.
“It’s about the club. What is the best for the club? If the player wants to go as an offer, the club has to give the value of the player.”
Brittain has a contract offer on the table from Rovers but Ismael believes the player has made his mind up. He insists the club made a ‘big effort’ to renew his terms but sadly it hasn’t been accepted.
“He took his decision to go,” Ismael reiterated.
“We made an offer. We made a very big effort for him. He has an offer he wants to take. So this is a rule in football. So we accept that.
“It’s nothing personal, we know that. At some point, everyone has to be happy. At the moment, I think that’s just a question of time to come over the line.
“If we are not able to go over the line until the middle of the week, he will train and be back with us.”
Ismael was also quizzed on Moussa Baradji’s move to Rovers. The midfielder looked set to sign on Friday but the deal has stalled.
Whilst being very forthcoming on every other topic, the head coach declined to comment when asked twice about his future.
The Lancashire Telegraph understands that the deal is very much in the balance and may drag on for a number of days.
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