After experiencing drastically different fortunes in the latter weeks and months of the 2025/26 season, Blackburn Rovers and Burnley will face off again in the traditional East Lancashire derby next season at Championship level.

The local rivals are two of the country’s most historic clubs, but they haven’t had the best on-field performances in recent years, despite the fact that the Clarets have spent two of the last three seasons in the Premier League.

That being said, it remains to be seen who will take charge at Turf Moor at the start of another gruelling 46-game Championship season, in which Burnley will be expected to compete with newly relegated rivals West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the promotion race, which will also include six teams in the post-season lottery of the play-offs, as opposed to the historic number of four.

After experiencing drastically different fortunes in the latter weeks and months of the 2025/26 season, Blackburn Rovers and Burnley will face off again in the traditional East Lancashire derby next season at Championship level.

The local rivals are two of the country’s most historic clubs, but they haven’t had the best on-field performances in recent years, despite the fact that the Clarets have spent two of the last three seasons in the Premier League.

That being said, it remains to be seen who will take charge at Turf Moor at the start of another gruelling 46-game Championship season, in which Burnley will be expected to compete with newly relegated rivals West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the promotion race, which will also include six teams in the post-season lottery of the play-offs, as opposed to the historic number of four.

Rovers, meanwhile, had continued their recent trend of backing up a season in which they were on the verge of potentially making the second tier play-offs for the first time since their relegation from the Premier League in 2012, following a season of significant inconsistency and struggle.

Indeed, a second relegation to League One in the last decade was very much on the cards until interim manager Michael O’Neill took over at Ewood Park in February, balancing a return to Championship management with his duties as Northern Ireland manager, despite the fact that they did not qualify for the upcoming FIFA World Cup.

However, after a lengthy managerial search, Tony Mowbray was confirmed on Friday as returning to BB2 for a second spell in charge after signing a ‘long-term contract’.

And it has now been reported that Blackburn are planning a transfer raid from one of his past clubs.

Blackburn Rovers join Burnley in their pursuit of Middlesbrough captain Dael Fry.

Indeed, the summer transfer window is now less than ten days away, and with Rovers looking to build on a largely successful end to the 2025/26 season and a 20th-place finish, it has been claimed that they are one of many clubs interested in signing Middlesbrough captain Dael Fry on a free transfer.

Mowbray, of course, has a long connection with his hometown club as both a player and a manager, and Fry is presently mimicking such a tale on the field as a Borough academy graduate wearing the armband.

Aside from a loan spell at Rotherham United, the 28-year-old has spent his whole career at Riverside Stadium, making 34 of his 296 appearances in 2025/26 under Rob Edwards and current head coach Kim Hellberg.

However, it has been reported that Fry and his boyhood club remain optimistic about a positive resolution to their contract negotiations, with the centre-back previously claiming that he still has a strong desire to lead them back to the Premier League following their recent defeat in the Championship play-off final against Hull City at Wembley Stadium.

Meanwhile, Burnley, Rovers’ fierce rivals, have expressed interest in Fry, as the Clarets prepare to pursue highly regarded French centre-back Maxime Esteve.

Middlesbrough’s latest contract developments with Dael Fry are revealed amid interest from Blackburn Rovers and Burnley.

Amid Blackburn’s interest, The Northern Echo reports that negotiations between Fry and Middlesbrough have proceeded, albeit more from the club’s perspective.

Chiefs on Teesside are thought to have made their most recent offer, with the defender yet to completely commit to new terms despite allegations that he is not among the club’s highest earners.

Indeed, Capology estimates that the long-serving figure earns £5,577 a week, just less than Hayden Hackney.

The midfielder, who was named Championship Player of the Season, is also in demand, primarily by Premier League club Everton, which means that a large portion of Hellberg’s core could leave the club in the coming weeks, ahead of the 38-year-old’s first pre-season at the Riverside, and a critical one at that, after missing out on a return to the top flight on two occasions.