SPANISH striker Yordi Gonzalez today begged Graeme Souness to sign him permanently after his loan spell with Rovers came to an end at the weekend.

The 28-year-old frontman flew home on Sunday after making a farewell appearance in Rovers' 3-0 win over Fulham.

But the Real Zaragoza hit-man would love to return next season to help spearhead the club's UEFA Cup campaign.

And Souness, who is on the look-out for a new striker, has admitted he has not ruled out the possibility of a return -- although much depends on the size of his summer transfer kitty.

"I don't know what the situation is," said Yordi.

"Graeme Souness has spoken with me and he said he would look at things in the next few weeks and maybe they can do a deal with Zaragoza to buy me.

"So we'll have to wait and see.

"But if it was down to me then I'd like to return.

"I've really enjoyed my time here. Everyone has been very good with me, and they've made me feel welcome.

"And that's the most important thing for me.

"The players, the coaching staff, the directors and the fans have all been excellent and I believe we have the makings of a very good team here."

When Yordi arrived in February he made an immediate impact, making an impressive debut as a substitute in Rovers' Worthington Cup triumph over Spurs in Cardiff.

Since then, however, his appearances have been limited due to the goalscoring form of Andy Cole and Matt Jansen.

But he has still played a significant part in leading the club to safety, weighing in with crucial goals against Southampton and Middlesbrough during the relegation run-in.

"When I arrived, I think the team was 19th in the table but we ended up finishing 10th which was a brilliant achievement," said Yordi.

"I think we've only lost three games since the Worthington Cup final against Leeds, Leicester and Liverpool.

"So I've felt good vibes off the team and I really hope Blackburn Rovers will be right up there next season.

"It's always special to play in Europe, too, and I hope they can make a big impact in the UEFA Cup.

"They've got some exciting young players and with a bit more experience they can become a very good team."

Yordi's hopes of winning a permanent move will hinge on the size of Souness's transfer budget, however.

Ideally, the Rovers boss would love to bring Dwight Yorke to Ewood to supplement the strikers he already has.

But Manchester United's valuation of the player is currently some way off what Souness is prepared to pay.

So a move for someone like Yordi could yet be a viable alternative with Zaragoza likely to want a fee in the region of £3 million.

"Yordi is going back to Spain but we haven't given up on that one altogether," said Souness.

"At this present time we don't know where we are going in terms of the money we'll have available.

"But he was a decent guy to work with and he never really got a chance to show us what he can do.

"A player of his build probably needs a run of half a dozen games to get fully match fit so we never saw the best of him.

"So we haven't abandoned that one altogether yet."

Meanwhile, Yordi's club side Zaragoza have been relegated from La Liga in his absence, which makes a move to Ewood appear all the more attractive.

"When I came here Zaragoza were 10th but in the last two months they have taken only three points from 12 games which is crazy because they are a very big club," said the Spaniard.

"They've got great players, great supporters and it's a big city so it's unbelievable that they have been relegated.

"So I'll have to go back and speak with them and see what the situation is but I would love to return."