The wantaway playmaker is about to get his wish but not at the price reported only three years ago.

Financial details have emerged as Blackburn Rovers' pursuit of Rangers midfielder Todd Cantwell nears completion.

They have been revealed by transfer guru Alan Nixon via Patreon on Wednesday afternoon, with it being stated that the eventual fee is a "bargain" £500,000 figure, with just two days of the transfer window remaining.

Rovers have been fairly active in the transfer market in what is John Eustace's first full season at Ewood Park, and a total of six signings prior to the former Norwich City man's imminent arrival and a positive start to the Championship campaign has somewhat lifted the mood in this corner of East Lancashire despite the well-documented loss of Sammie Szmodics to Ipswich Town and the delayed court case involving the Venky's.

Cantwell is looking for a fresh start in his career, after it was revealed in July by Gers boss Phillipe Clement that a transfer request had been submitted, and in recent days, Rovers have made their move and look to be in the closing stages of negotiations given this fresh update.

It was initially revealed by Nixon that Blackburn were prepared to offer a loan or permanent deal as the SPFL giants paved the way to secure his exit, before hinting that the fee agreed between the two parties was "quite low".

However, in a fresh update, Nixon has since fully announced the financial details as the fee comes in at the £500,000 mark, which he has described as a "bargain".

Furthermore, the report states that Cantwell's wage demands were the main hurdle for Rovers when it came to striking a deal, but the 26-year-old has settled on a figure which is said to be "slightly less" than his earnings at Ibrox, which, according to Salary Sport, was an estimated figure of £22,000 per week.

Nixon stated that the contract is a "huge" offer by Blackburn's standards, who are looking to add some more creativity to their ranks ahead of the transfer window closing this Friday.

Cantwell has held talks with representatives of the club in London, and it is believed that his transfer will be completed in order for the two-time Championship winner to be available ahead of the East Lancashire Derby against Burnley on Saturday.

In recent years, we have rarely seen Rovers pay such lucrative figures for a player, with numerous managers working on a shoestring to assemble a squad capable of competing towards the play-offs, so it is a big shift for the club to be offering such a high wage package, regardless of the transfer fee being viewed as a coup.

Therefore, it's paramount that a player of Cantwell's calibre, having shone in bursts with Rangers - which included a run of five goals in seven SPFL outings between December 24th and February 2nd last season - is able to somewhat emulate the influence which Szmodics had on this team, and become one of the main creative outlets in a side which has already found the net 15 times across all competitive fixtures so far.

With all the aforementioned factors taken into account, Cantwell and the club must take this opportunity with both hands in order for a success to be made when it comes to an improvement from last season on the pitch, as well as the man who was linked with £20m moves not too long ago revitalising his career and boosting his own valuation.

Rangers are close to finally offloading Todd Cantwell after talks were slated to take place between himself, representatives and Blackburn Rovers, with manager John Eustace confirming he’s interested in the playmaker.

With a few days left of the window, the Ewood Park chief and Cantwell are said to be chatting today, with Sky Sports confirming the meeting to take place as soon as possible.

On the topic, Eustace said:

“I certainly am very hopeful, you can see tonight we still short in a few areas. Hopefully, the club can bring in the right players to give that competition for places. The recruitment team are working very hard. Todd is someone that has been spoken about. He is a Rangers player and I don’t like to talk about players at other clubs too much. Todd is a Rangers player, he’s a very good player but we’ve got five of six other good players on the list. We want to bring in good players to the club.”

Cantwell would give his right arm for this move, and Rangers will happily recoup what we spent, the circa £2M transfer fee in January 2023. In theory he could have been worth a lot lot more, but the main purpose is to get his £25,000pw wage off Rangers’ bill and use it elsewhere.

Cantwell is a lad who, under the right manager, could still be a special player. Rangers aren’t the right club and Clement definitely not the right boss, and Cantwell is young enough that he can still achieve his ambitions.

Someone needs to screw the boy’s head on. And maybe that someone is Eustace.