Blackburn Rovers are set to resume their bid to sign Schalke striker Kevin Kuranyi at the end of the season.
According to the Daily Mail, Sam Allardyce is lining up the Brazil-born Germany international to replace Paraguay-born Paraguayan Roque Santa Cruz after accepting that the striker will be out the door come the end of the season.
That may be no bad thing for Rovers. Since Allardyce managed to fend off Manchester City and keep Santa Cruz in the January transfer window, the former Bayern Munich hitman has only scored one league goal. Selling the injury-plagued forward to City could give Rovers an advantage in next season’s relegation battle.
Rovers had eyed Kuranyi – who has clocked up a respectable 91 goals in the Bundesliga so far – as the ideal candidate to take the number nine shirt at Ewood Park then, but will now buy him in the summer unless Everton can get in there first.
Allardyce has had enough time at the club to put the Rovers defenders through their paces and see what they are all about, and has concluded that Aaron ‘The Axe’ Mokoena and Andre ‘Oops! I did it again’ Ooijer can both sling their respective hooks.
Mokoena’s muscle, adaptability and disregard for the safety of others around him have got Stoke City boss Tony Pulis interested, while Ooijer is set for a return to PSV Eindhoven.
At this point more words can be employed to keep things ticking over. By this stage it’s worth throwing in the BIG rumour of the day, something along the lines of Liverpool’s planned summer move for Arjen Robben. Rafa Benitez wants to test Real’s resolve with an £18m bid.
Elsewhere, West Brom’s Jay Simpson has once again insisted he will rejoin Arsenal at the end of the season, West Ham are set to offer manager Gianfranco Zola a new four-year contract.
