Bulgarian’s Blackburn move blocked
The Litex Lovech forward passed a medical at the club last week and
had agreed terms on a deal but the Home Office have refused to
grant him the necessary paperwork. The problem is that Popov has
not made enough appearances for Bulgaria, having missed several
games in the last year due to injury. The 22-year-old has scored
three goals in 15 matches for his country since making his debut in
2007 and is expected to start Friday’s Euro 2012 qualifier against
England. The news that he does not qualify for a work permit will
come as a major blow to Blackburn as Popov is regarded as a bright
prospect for the future and was instrumental in helping Lovech win
last season’s Bulgarian title. Rovers were reportedly ready to pay
3million euros (£2.5m) to secure Popov’s services and Sam
Allardyce had been hopeful of completing the deal.