Popular Hull City defender linked with transfer move to Championship rivals

Sean McLoughlin has emerged as a surprise transfer target for Blackburn Rovers. The centre-back is currently with the rest of Hull City's first-team squad as part of their pre-season training camp in Turkey.

But Rovers, the Tigers' Championship rivals, are interested in signing McLoughlin, according to Sun journalist Alan Nixon. The Lancashire club are in the market for defensive reinforcements ahead of next season and Nixon states that McLoughlin could be prised away from the MK Stadium for a transfer fee of around £500,000.

Hull Live understands McLoughlin, who played 26 times across all competitions last time around as the Tigers missed out on a top-six finish, has his admirers in the English Football League. He struggled for game time in the second half of the 2023/24 campaign, with former boss Liam Rosenior preferring Alfie Jones and Jacob Greaves as his centre-back pairing.

Read more: Hull City closing in on experienced Premier League striker as deal nears

Rovers are also said to have contacted free agent Liam Cooper over a potential move to Ewood Park. The experienced defender officially left Leeds United at the end of June following the expiry of his contract. He was offered fresh terms by last season's Championship play-off finalists but no deal has yet to materialise.

Should McLoughlin move on to pastures new, it will leave the Tigers short on centre-back options with just over a month to go until the big kick off. Greaves is on the brink of leaving City and joining Premier League new boys Ipswich Town. Reports say Greaves has passed his medical at Portman Road today and that the transfer will be confirmed in the next 24 hours.

* Hull Live will be travelling with the City team for the duration of their pre-season trip to Istanbul and you can follow our updates, videos and podcasts throughout the camp