Blackburn Rovers Enter Race for French Forward

Blackburn Rovers Enter Race for French Forward

Blackburn Rovers have reportedly entered the race to sign FC Lorient forward Sambou Soumano.

They face a battle with other clubs such as Poland's Widzew Lodz, and reports state that Celtic have also shown an interest in the Frenchman.

The deal would likely cost somewhere in the region of £2-5m for the goal-scoring 24-year-old.

Soumano's Saga Unfolding

Having scored 14 goals in just 11 starts for Lorient last season, it has been no surprise to see an array of interest arise for his services.

Soumano looked set to agree terms on a deal that would see him play in Poland for around £2m, but after late interest from both Blackburn and Scottish giants Celtic, that move now appears uncertain and Lorient's asking price looks to have been subsequently raised.

🚨🤝 EXCL | Sambou Soumano has agreed personal terms with Widzew Lodz and is pushing for the move, impressed by the 🇵🇱 club’s project.

Talks on the fee (~€1,5/2m) remain open with Lorient and will continue in the next few hours.

Despite other bids, his priority is Widzew. pic.twitter.com/RTR9eNB0CR

— Rudy Galetti (@RudyGaletti) August 24, 2025

Soumano struggled to nail down a starting place last season despite his goal-scoring prowess, and a move this summer sees him seek more guaranteed first team minutes.

Morishita Signs for Rovers

Soumano's signature would see him join versatile Japanese international Ryoya Morishita who completed his deal yesterday.

🗣️ "𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙗𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝙍𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙨 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙖𝙨 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚, 𝙨𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙚, 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙨𝙩"

🇯🇵 Ryoya Morishita's first words as a Rover.@agr_0110 | #Rovers 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/QfdkAlAGBN

— Blackburn Rovers (@Rovers) August 25, 2025

Morishita penned a three-year-deal for Blackburn, arriving from Legia Warsaw in Poland for a fee of around £2m.

The 28-year-old comes off the back of a double figure, goal-scoring campaign last season and can be deployed anywhere across the midfield, on the wings, or even as a centre forward.