BLACKBURN boss Graeme Souness wants at least four new faces in his squad before the start of next season.

After a slow start to the summer, the transfer merry-go-round now looks set to kick into action in the wake of David Beckham's £25 million move to Real Madrid.

And Souness is planning to be at the sharp end by giving his squad a facelift in preparation for a European push.

Already, the Rovers boss has lost four players from the squad which finished last season as Keith Gillespie, Henning Berg, Alan Miller and Stig Bjornebye have all now left the club.

And with David Dunn likely to become the fifth in the next few weeks, Souness is well aware of the need for new blood, especially given the fact Rovers didn't have the biggest of squads to start off with.

"I want at least four new players and even if I get them we will only be replacing like with like," said Souness.

"We've lost Keith, Henning, Stig and Alan since the end of last season and David Dunn could soon be joining them, too.

"So I'm well aware of the need to get some new blood in, especially as we didn't have one of the biggest squads anyway.

"Managers will be putting chief executives and chairmen under increasing pressure to get new players in as the summer goes on.

"But in fairness to John Williams he is working his socks off and he has been doing since before the end of last season.

"I've given him a list of what I think we need but these things don't happen over night.

"He will continue to work hard over the summer to get the people in we want and I'm confident we'll have some new faces by the start of next season."

Souness has already been active in the transfer market having wrapped up a deal for promising young keeper David Yelldell who will sign for an undisclosed fee from Stuttgart Kickers next month.

And the Rovers boss hopes to make Rangers defender Lorenzo Amoruso his second signing soon after lining up talks with the Italian for later this week.

Souness is also on the trail of Millwall's Steven Reid and Aston Villa's Turkish defender Alpay.

And he has earmarked an established midfield player as a possible replacement for Dunn should the 23-year-old seal a £5.5 million move to Birmingham City.

Further activity can also be expected on the outgoing front, too.

Several clubs have contacted Rovers since the end of last season expressing interest in Craig Hignett, John Curtis and Alan Mahon, and Souness is ready to do business at the right price.

But Italian striker Ciccio Grabbi remains a financial millstone around the manager's neck because Rovers are currently struggling to find him a new club.