BLACKBURN Rovers will not pursue an interest in Newcastle's Robert Lee, even though they admitted today that the England midfielder had been considered as a possibile transfer target.

And, while time is running out before the transfer deadline tomorrow week, Ewood chief executive John Williams is still optimistic that a new man can be brought in to bolster Brian Kidd's battle against relegation.

Newcastle are demanding £2 million for the 33-year-old Lee but, if he had been the man Rovers really wanted, the money would not frighten them off.

They are loathe to pay inflated prices but accept that the price of losing Premiership status would be high and it is more likely to be availability rather than finance which decides whether they can sign someone before the deadline.

If it means paying a little over the odds, I believe they would do it and Williams stressed today that the search was continuing in earnest.

"Robert Lee is just one player who has been discussed but we will not be taking it any further than that," said the chief executive.

"However, I am still optimistic that we will do something before the deadline."

Kidd has identified his targets to the board and has made it clear on several occasions that he won't take just anybody - it must be a player he feels will benefit the club. And, while recent buying has been confined to Britain, the possibility of bringing someone from abroad has not been ruled out.

Chief scout John Seasman has spent a lot of time overseas in the past couple of weeks.

Meanwhile, claims that Kevin Gallacher and Christian Dailly had already been ruled out for the rest of the season were dismissed today by the manager.

He said that no-one knew yet how long Gallacher would be out and Dailly was hoping to start remedial work in a couple of weeks time.

Damien Duff and Jason McAteer have both been named in the Republic of Ireland squad for the European Championship qualifier against Macedonia in Skopje on Saturday week.

Two days after the game, Duff is due to fly to Nigeria with the Irish under-20 squad for the Junior World Cup. Although Rovers have yet to make an official announcement about his release, it is now almost certain that they will bow to the inevitable.

Even if they withdrew Duff from the championships, he would probably be barred from playing club football during the torunament.

Ex-Rover Mike Newell could be on his way out of Aberdeen, possibly being offered in part-exchange for Preston keeper Tepi Moilanen. The Finnish international has been out of the first team since breaking a rib earlier this season and Aberdeen have been watching him as they seek a successor to Jim Leighton.

But Wigan and Tranmere are also believed to be interested in Newell, whose contract at Pittodrie expires this summer.

The "Goalkeepers Night", postponed because of re-arranged fixtures, has now been fixed for next Tuesday, March 23, in the Centenary Suite at Ewood (7.30pm for 8pm). Tickets are £2 for Supporters' Association members, £3 for non-members.

Any tickets purchased for the original date are still valid.

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