Blackburn Rovers are reportedly considering a move for Stoke City hitman James Beattie in the winter window, with Jason Roberts expected to be offered as bait to the Potters. Rovers are said to prefer a straight player exchange with no cash involved.
Former Southampton striker Beattie had a huge bust up with Stoke boss Tony Pulis earlier this month, raising questions about his future at the Britannia Stadium. The 31 year old, who has been capped five times by England, was born in Lancashire, and was a trainee at Blackburn before moving to the South Coast in 1998 for £1m.
Stoke signed Beattie from Sheffield United in January 2009 for £3.5m. The Staffordshire outfit will be expecting to recoup some of that investment, and may chose to give Rovers’ straight swap offer the thumbs down given that Beattie has no dearth of suitors in the Premiership and the Championship.
Rovers boss Sam Allardyce virtually has no money to splash out in the winter market. Going into Christmas, Blackburn are thirteenth in the table, but are just three points away from the relegation zone. Their next game is against Roberto Martinez’s Wigan on Boxing Day.
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