BLACKBURN Rovers are in talks with Chievo, the new sensations of Italian football, about a pre-season friendly.

Rovers are currently investigating the possibility of wrapping up their preparations for the new campaign with a game against the Serie A outfit on August 11 at Ewood.

It's the third successive season Rovers have attempted to invite top European opposition to England for a pre-season curtain-raiser following previous visits by Barcelona and Lazio.

Ewood chief executive John Williams was initially in talks with officials from both Parma and Roma.

But Rovers are now trying to bring Chievo to Ewood for a match which would spark great interest amongst football fans in East Lancashire, as well as providing Souness's side with the kind of tough test they want just a week before the Premiership kicks off again.

Several other clubs are also in the frame, including Spanish outfit Atletico Bilbao.

But a possible match against the Italian newcomers is the most intriguing option currently being discussed by Ewood officials.

Chievo's meteoric rise through Italian football mirrors that of Rovers in the early 1990s, when Kenny Dalglish transformed the once unfashionable East Lancashire club into the champions of England.

The Serie A outfit made the jump from the amateur leagues to the top flight of Italian football in just 15 years and at one stage last season looked set to be crowned the champions in their debut season until their challenge faltered in the closing weeks of the campaign.

Starting out life as OND Chievo in 1929 - an after-hours team for factory workers - the club has gone through various name changes including Cardi Chievo and Paluno Chievo, both named after sponsors.

Their ascent into professional football began in 1986 when they were promoted to Serie C2, despite losing a play-off, after Bassano were disqualified.

From there it took a further three years to achieve promotion to Serie C1 and another five to reach Serie B.

Last season, they crowned their debut season in Serie A with a magnificent fifth-placed finish.

And they followed that up this term with an equally impressive seventh-placed finish in what is arguably the toughest league in the world - a stunning achievement given the fact Chievo itself is a small neighbourhood in Verona with a population of just 3,000!

However, such has been their rapid rise that team boss Luigi Del Neri is now one of the most well-respected coaches in Italian football.

Among the star names in his squad is former Rovers target and German international Oliver Bierhoff.

Simone Perrotta and Nicola Legrottaglie also recently won call-ups to the full Italian squad and made their debuts in a friendly against Northern Ireland.

Chievo, bizarrely nicknamed The Flying Donkeys, are hoping to play two games in England as part of a pre-season tour.

On August 9 they plan to take on Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium, two days before a possible trip to Ewood.