RAY Harford is likely to face stiff competition from both home and abroad if he decides to go all the way with his interest in 24-year-old French striker Christophe Dugarry this week.

The £4 million-rated Bordeaux star is expected to make a decision on his future in the next few days, as we revealed in last night's later editions.

His club have already announced he will be leaving, along with fellow French internationals Zinedine Zidane and Bixente Lizarazu.

And Rovers are believed to have been joined by Arsenal in keeping a close eye on Dugarry's situation.

Italian giants Napoli, Inter Milan and Juventus are also being linked with the striker, capped nine times by France and included in their Euro 96 squad.

Juventus have had talks with Zidane, another player Rovers have checked out, and there have been suggestions that the Turin club would like to make a double swoop after tonight's European Cup final with Ajax.

But Italian sources believe Zidane is their prime target.

Presumably Dugarry has caught their eye as a potential replacement for Gianluca Vialli who is set to quit Juventus after tonight's showdown. Vialli will announce his future plans on Friday.

And, while a tug-of-war seems to be developing between Chelsea and Glasgow Rangers for his services, other Italian clubs are also interested.

Vialli's agent Claudio Pasqualin said he could not rule out "stunning news" when the announcement was made.

Meanwhile, Tim Flowers, pictured above right, and Alan Shearer were named in the England side to face China tomorrow as Terry Venables revealed a team with only two men from the starting line-up against Hungary. Flowers will play his first international since last June, when he started against Brazil, while Shearer's comeback from groin surgery looks complete. After going on as a late substitute on Saturday, he will now have the chance to improve his match fitness.

Jason Wilcox, impressive on his debut, must wait for another chance to stake a claim for a place in Venables' plans for Euro '96.

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