Duo free to leave Rovers

Blackburn will allow Francis Jeffers and Andy Todd to leave the club this summer – but only if the price is right.

The pair found themselves out of manager Mark Hughes’ first XI for much of last season and now chairman John Williams has revealed both are unlikely to be at Ewood Park next term.

Former Everton and Arsenal striker Jeffers spent the final two months of the season on loan at Ipswich, who have had two bids – the latest believed to be £500,000 – rejected for the once-capped 26-year-old.

Williams said: “Mark has said, on balance, we would be prepared to sell Francis, providing certain things happened in our line-up.

“He probably isn’t first choice and that makes Mark come to the view that if we receive the right offer, we wouldn’t want to stand in his way.

“To be fair to Ipswich, they’ve done it properly. They made us an offer – we rejected it.

“They’ve made an improved offer and we’ve rejected that, and that’s where we stand.”

Jeffers joined Blackburn when his Charlton contract expired last summer.

Despite getting him for nothing, Williams insists Rovers are within their rights to demand a fair price.

He said: “We don’t think we’re being at all unreasonable. There might be a feeling out there that because we got Francis on a Bosman, that we should be lowering our expectation. I just don’t get that at all.

“What we don’t want to do is price him out of a move.”

Rovers have a similar attitude regarding former skipper Todd.

Williams is looking to get back the £750,000 the club paid to Charlton for the 32-year-old defender five years ago.

“Andy wants first-team football. We have got an abundance of centre-halves,” said Williams.

“We’d like to get our money back. What we paid for Andy is well documented. We certainly wouldn’t want to stand in Andy Todd’s way, provided the return for Rovers is fair.”

The fees received for Jeffers and Todd will help finance Hughes summer spending, with a number of new faces being linked with Ewood Park.

However, the strongest rumours centre on old boy, Craig Bellamy, and Williams admits it is only natural for the striker to be linked with a return.

The Wales captain appears to have fallen out of favour after less than a year at Liverpool, who he joined last summer when the Reds triggered a £6million release clause in his Rovers contract.

Bellamy, who turns 28 next month, was a huge success at Ewood Park, scoring 17 goals in the 2005-06 season.

While refusing to reveal whether he is on Hughes’ shopping list, Williams said: “I’ve no idea if Liverpool want to sell him.

“His name is on everyone’s lips because he did very well here.”

He added on BBC Radio Lancashire: “It’s an open secret we would like another striker at the club.”

Whether or not that man is Bellamy, Williams accepts a quality forward will command a hefty transfer fee.

“Strikers don’t usually come cheap,” he said.

“It’s unlikely we’re going to find a 20-goal-a-season man for £500,000.

“Will we find a striker? I think we will. Obviously, there are names in the frame.”