NORWICH City have joined the chase for Rudy Gestede after Blackburn Rovers sold Tom Cairney to Fulham yesterday.

Cairney has signed a four-year contract at Fulham after Rovers agreed a deal to sell the midfielder to their Championship rivals.

The deal could be worth up to £4m including add-ons, but Hull City will receive 25 per cent of the fee because of a sell-on clause inserted when Rovers signed Cairney on a permanent basis 18 months ago.

Rovers managing director Derek Shaw and manager Gary Bowyer could not be reached for comment after confirmation of Cairney’s departure, which came as the club attempt to find their way out of a transfer embargo.

Rovers had already fielded interest in strike ace Gestede this summer, with Watford still in the race to sign the Benin international.

It is understood that another recently promoted club, Norwich, have also now made an enquiry about Gestede.

Rovers are believed to want more than the £5m that Watford were said to be prepared to pay a few weeks ago, with £7m thought to be nearer the price they would consider.

Crystal Palace had a £3.5m bid for Gestede rejected in January, while other Premier League clubs have also been reported to be monitoring developments.

The 26-year-old has made no secret of the fact that he is ambitious to play in the Premier League and his exit would move Rovers closer to having their embargo lifted, although it would further damage their chances of success on the field during the 2015/16 season.

The sale of the popular Cairney has proved controversial with a large section of the Rovers fanbase.

Lancashire Telegraph:

Rovers have made a large profit on a player they signed from Hull in January 2014, after a successful loan, and have also included a sell-on clause in the agreement with Fulham.

But they will face a steep task to fill the void left by Cairney’s exit, although they will be permitted to sign a player as a replacement under the terms of their embargo for falling foul of the Football League’s Financial Fair Play regulations.

Those regulations state that Rovers will be allowed to make a signing, either on loan or on a free transfer, providing the employee costs of that player are less than £600,000 per year.

Speaking to Fulham’s official website after being unveiled by his new club at their Motspur Park training ground, Cairney said: “I’m delighted. Now I’m just so looking forward to getting started and meeting the boys.

“The hard work starts now because it’s pre-season but I can’t wait to get back here, get settled and get in amongst it.

“For most of my life Fulham have been a Premier League club and have only been out of it for a year.

“They’ve had some great players over the years and it’s a very attractive club to come to.

“Every player wants to play in the Premier League and if I can do that with Fulham that would be fantastic.”