Rovers ready to look abroad

Blackburn keen to bring in new striker

Last updated: 1st July 2009   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Rovers ready to look abroad

Allardyce: Striker search

Related links

Teams

Players

Also see

Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce is ready to turn his attention to the overseas market as he looks for striking reinforcements.

Rovers are short of options up front following the £18million sale of Roque Santa Cruz to Manchester City and Matt Derbyshire's permanent move to Olympiakos.

The Ewood Park outfit are now back in pre-season training and chairman John Williams has admitted that bringing in a goalscorer is a priority, although he claimed there is a shortage of options close to home.

"We have been looking around for a proven Premier League striker but it is proving a difficult task," he said.

Abroad

"We may need to look abroad and go down that route."

Real Madrid's Ruud van Nistelrooy has been touted as one potential target, while Williams has confirmed their interest in Chelsea youngster Franco Di Santo but denied any possible bid for Bolton's Kevin Davies.

"Di Santo is a player we are interested in but we have not enquired about Kevin Davies," he said.

"(Bolton chairman) Phil Gartside phoned me to clarify the rumours, not the other way round."

Gamble

Although Allardyce is working to a limited budget the Rovers boss is prepared to spend all of it on one player if he can find the striker he needs.

"I did it three years ago on Nicolas Anelka at Bolton," he told the Lancashire Telegraph.

"It was a big gamble because the squad wasn't very big but Nicolas' goals took us up to the next level.

"If we secured someone who would put the goals in the back of the net, we would be much better as a team and [I would] sacrifice bringing in any other players other than that."