Sam Gallagher is set to seal a £5m move to Blackburn.

As revealed by the Daily Echo, Saints have been preparing to sell the 23-year-old striker this summer with Rovers leading the chase for his signature.

It is understood that Saints and Blackburn have come to an agreement over the fee and the player will sign a deal at Ewood Park after completing a medical.

There had been considerable interest in Gallagher from a host of Championship clubs with Wigan and Brentford also making formal approaches.

But it was Blackburn, where Gallagher spent a successful season on loan in 2016/17, scoring 12 goals in 47 appearances, that led the way and have got a deal agreed.

The move will bring to an end Gallagher’s seven year stay at Saints after joining as a youngster from Plymouth.

He made 26 appearances for Saints scoring two goals.

The transfer will mean that Saints have made two signings and two sales in the summer transfer window.

Moussa Djenepo and Che Adams have arrived for a combined total of £29m while Matt Targett and Gallagher departures will have brought in £20m.

Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl is still targeting more new arrivals with a centre half top of the list priorities.

However, the club remain focussed on trying to reduce the numbers in the squad and, therefore, cut the wage bill down to allow new faces to come in.

Gallagher was left out of the squad for the current pre-season tour in Austria to be given time to train in England while also sorting out his future.

The striker wants to play regularly at this stage of his career and given that will not happen for him at Saints it is felt the time is right for a parting of the ways.

Gallagher joined Saints in 2012 having come through the Plymouth academy and made a big impact on the first team under Mauricio Pochettino.

However, the 2013/14 season was to prove his high point with the club as in the subsequent five seasons he has added just six further appearances to his Saints tally.

During that time Gallagher has been shipped out for loan spells at MK Dons, Birmingham and Blackburn, which was his most successful stint with 12 goals in 47 appearances.

The recruitment of Adams this summer pushed Gallagher further down the pecking order.

Adams is seen by Hasenhuttl as the ideal combination of pace, physical power and youth to compliment a forward line that already boasts Danny Ings, Shane Long and Michael Obafemi. Charlie Austin has also stayed behind to train at Staplewood with the club prepared to sell him.

Many Saints fans have been keen to see Gallagher get further first team opportunities but with the reality that he is not going to leapfrog any of the players ahead of him now seems an opportune moment for him to move on.