BLACKBURN Rovers boss Gary Bowyer would like to get his summer transfer business done as soon as possible.

But he is still unlikely to make the maximum number of signings he is allowed to under the terms of the club’s embargo.

Bowyer’s squad can contain no more than 24 established players – those aged 21 or above on June 30 who have made at least five first-team starts – after the club fell foul of Financial Fair Play rules.

Rovers currently have 20 established players under contract for next season.

That number could rise if Josh King, Chris Taylor and possibly Luke Varney, whose current deals run out next month, sign new contracts.

But that number could go down if Rovers can move on players like Leon Best and Jake Kean who have no future at the club.

However, whatever happens between now and the end of August, Bowyer will keep at least one space in his squad open in order to give him the option of making a move in the loan market.

“In the last summer window we brought in Shane Duffy, Jason Steele and Ryan Tunnicliffe right at the death,” said Bowyer.

“That strengthened us but, if we’re being honest, we wanted it done a lot earlier than that.

“So, this time around, we don’t want it that way.

“But the problem we’re facing this summer is the limited spaces that we’ve got in the squad.

“You have to take that into consideration because if we used up all our spaces in the summer and, God forbid anything happened (with injuries), you wouldn’t be able to bring anybody in on loan.

“So you’ve always got to have one space free for an emergency.”

Rovers’ major punishment for failing Financial Fair Play is that any signing they do make can only be a loan or a free transfer.

And any new recruit arriving at Ewood Park will not be able to be paid more than around £10,000 per week.

“Gone are the days when this club can pay big wages because the restrictions of the Football League now state what you can and can’t pay and what’s the maximum you can pay,” said Bowyer, who has been linked with attacker Jamie Ward, who has been released from his contract at Derby County, and Manchester City midfielder Seko Fofana.

“We know that and we’re just working very hard to find players who fit within that budget and within that range.

“Players are becoming available now with the retained lists coming out and if the right target became available, and if he fitted the criteria, and we got it done straight away, then that would be brilliant.

“But at the same it’s got to be somebody who can enhance the squad.”