BLACKBURN Rovers are not about to line Steve Staunton's pockets with £6 million in wages over the next four years, despite reports in some of today's national newspapers.

The Republic of Ireland defender is not on Roy Hodgson's current hit list as the Ewood boss attempts to add to his close-season captures.

But Rovers are continuing negotiations for more new players with Frenchman Sebastian Perez and Italian Nicola Boselli - both defenders - still very much in the frame.

As we revealed on Monday, Bastia's Perez came to Ewood last week to have a look around and for talks about a possible move.

Perez usually plays right back which, ironically, would cast doubt over his Bastia predecessor Patrick Valery's Ewood future if he was signed.

I understand discussions have been ongoing with the Frenchman and his club and there could yet be developments on the horizon.

With Boselli, the ball is very much in the Atalanta player's court as he has to make the decision whether to take the plunge and come to England or play safe and stay in Italy. Today's national tabloids carried stories that Rovers were about to gazump Liverpool for Staunton, who is available on a free this summer under the Bosman ruling. Ewood chief executive John Williams confirmed that Staunton, like Dion Dublin, was a player the club had looked at earlier as a possible target.

But he dismissed today's reports.

Staunton is expected to return to Anfield when his contract with Villa expires at the end of the month.

Sunderland's Lee Clark is another player linked with Rovers in the national Press but who is most unlikely to be moving to Ewood. It has been suggested that the midfielder will want a move after Sunderland's failure to regain Premiership status.

But manager Peter Reid insists Clark is going nowhere and I understand the former Newcastle star is happy to stay at the Stadium of Light.

Meanwhile, Tottenham boss Christian Gross has bid £5 million for Empoli striker Carmine Esposito.

Rovers had talked to Empoli about Esposito before they signed Kevin Davies. Serie A clubs Parma and Bologna are also in the hunt.

The Spurs offer, which has ended Southampton's interest in the player, is reckoned to be worth £750,000 a season for four years.

Rovers finished third in an international youth tournament in Switzerland on the toss of a coin after ending a penalty shoot-out 10-10.

After missing a final clash against Bayern Munich by just one goal, Rovers drew 0-0 with Austrians Vienna Memphis in the third-fourth place play-off.

Rovers youth coach Rob Kelly offered to share third place after the penalty deadlock but a coin was tossed instead. Kelly said: "It was a good tournament, very well organised and with a very high standard. We went with a very young team to give them experience and they did very well."

In their group games, Rovers beat Grasshoppers of Zurich 1-0 with a Gary Hamilton goal and drew 1-1 with both NAC Breda of Holland and Borussia Dortmund, David Dunn and Stuart Howson getting the goals. Breda's record of scoring one more goal took them through to the final where they were beaten 4-0 by Bayern.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.