ARSENAL are believed to be ready to mount a monster bid to take Tim Sherwood to Highbury.

But the player's agent Eric Hall revealed today that he was still planning further talks with Blackburn Rovers in an effort to clinch a new long-term contract for the Ewood skipper.

The Gunners are desperate to sign new players and are known to have been interested in Sherwood for some time.

They made an inquiry earlier this summer but were told there was nothing doing.

Having seen Alan Shearer move to Newcastle for that world record £15 million fee, they might feel the time is ripe to move in.

Hall said today: "Tim loves it at Blackburn and that's a monster fact.

"We are doing everything in our power to keep him at Blackburn and I will be contacting the chairman Robert Coar very soon to see how things lie." Hall and Sherwood met Rovers officials at Ewood last week to talk over a possible new contract. At the moment the midfielder is midway through a four-year deal.

With everyone's emotions still at full stretch after Shearer's departure, Rovers need to be looking to make something big happen in a positive sense and will not be happy if Arsenal come in again.

For the past 10 days or so, rumours that Rovers are interested in trying to tempt Jurgen Klinsmann back to England for another season have been rife.

And money would not be a problem.

Would that be an answer? It's the type of signing that might be.

They could also revive their long-standing interest in Middlesbrough's England forward Nick Barmby. Boro have slapped a not-for-sale sign on Barmby but you never know, as Rovers have discovered over the past few days.

The fact is they cannot really replace Shearer, he is the best. They may well need to look at it from a different angle.

As Rovers manager Ray Harford said: "Just who do you get to replace Alan Shearer? But there will not be any panic here."

Rovers might even have to consider altering their style of play.

Harford will have felt Shearer's departure more than most, because he was the key figure in bringing him to Ewood four years ago, after getting to know him with the England under-21 squad. "He hasn't changed one little bit in the time that I have known him," he said.

"The only thing he has become is more famous. But, as a person, he's still the same as he was when I first met him and that's the biggest compliment I can pay him.

"I have got the utmost respect for Alan, he's a wonderful lad and a wonderful player."

Rovers Reserves had two good games on a mini-tour of Wales, beating Caernarfon 2-0 and Portmadoc 4-0.

Damien Duff and James Beattie were on target in the Caernarfon game, with Duff getting two more against Portmadoc, to go with goals from Marlon Broomes and Wayne Gill.

Rovers' under-16 side finished as runners-up in the Milk Cup in Northern Ireland, being beaten 1-0 by Tottenham Hotspur in the final.

"We didn't play as well as we did earlier in the tournament," said Jim Furnell. "But the lads did us proud and produced some outstanding performances."

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