Summer rumour mill begins as Doncaster Rovers linked with swoop for midfielder

The reward for them finishing top of the pile and achieving what they set out to do from the very start is a sun-drenched break abroad for the players and staff.

But while those celebrations quite rightly continue, the rumour mill machine has been started up and has already fired out its first link of what will no doubt be a long and frenzied summer on the transfer front as the club prepare for life back in the third tier.

Dean Campbell, currently of Barrow, has reportedly been contacted by Rovers over a potential free transfer switch. The 24-year-old featured prominently for Rovers' rivals in League Two last term as he completed his second campaign in Cumbria.

The central midfielder's current deal is set to expire shortly and while Barrow say they "remain in conversation about retaining the services" of the former Aberdeen man, a fresh report from Football Insider suggests he isn't short of offers from a crop of League One sides.

Rovers are name-checked alongside fellow promoted side Bradford City as well as Northampton Town and Stevenage. Grant McCann's squad has thinned out a little after the return of five loanees, the retirement of Richard Wood and the uncertainty over a clutch of players weighing up new contract offers.

But Campbell's position is a congested area already for Rovers. There are seven players on the books in the engine room: Owen Bailey, George Broadbent, Harry Clifton, Zain Westbrooke, Joe Sbarra and the returning loan duo of Will Flint and Ben Close.

Speaking briefly on the topic of summer recruitment, McCann told the Free Press that he intends to make the squad "ultra-competitive next year so that we can have a real good go", adding that "there won't be massive changes in the summer."