RAY Harford travelled to Bordeaux today on a multi-million pound transfer mission.

And I can reveal that his target is the man who is keeping Eric Cantona out of the French international squad - Bordeaux's exciting star Zinedine Zidane.

The Blackburn Rovers boss was absent from Brockhall today and made no secret of the fact that he intended to travel abroad on a scouting mission.

That, not surprisingly, has led to a spate of guesswork and speculation as to the identity of his target.

But the Lancashire Evening Telegraph can exclusively confirm that it is Zidane, a top-class midfield/forward player in the Cantona mode.

Zidane has helped Bordeaux to the verge of the UEFA Cup final and France to the European Championships to be held in England this summer.

He is a much-wanted talent, with Arsenal said to be favourites for his signature a few weeks ago.

But I believe Harford could be ahead of them in the pursuit of one of Europe's top-rated stars.

France has provided outstanding talents such as Cantona at Old Trafford and Newcastle's David Ginola for the Premiership.

Yet neither are likely to figure in Euro 96 with a new breed of internationals having taken their places.

Zidane is one of them and he has made such an impact on the international scene since breaking through to the senior French squad that Cantona has found himself out in the cold.

It would be a real coup for Harford if he could pull off such a transfer capture.

Zidane is expected to line up for Bordeaux against Slavia Prague in the UEFA Cup tonight when the French club look set to complete a remarkable journey.

Their campaign began last summer, in the Intertoto Cup - a tournament treated with disdain by English clubs.

Bordeaux took advantage of that particular route to qualify for the UEFA Cup and, on the way to the semi-finals, they defeated Italian giants AC Milan.

With a 1-0 lead from the first leg in Prague, they are now strongly fancied to complete the job and reach the final against either Bayern Munich or Barcelona.

Zidane has been an inspiration to their campaign, as well as shining for the international side.

Meanwhile, Rovers' own hopes of qualifying for next season's UEFA Cup were helped by last night's goalless draw between Arsenal and Spurs.

The stalemate kept both within reach, especially as the Gunners still have to visit Ewood.

It adds more spice to tomorrow night's Ewood clash with Wimbledon when victory is a must to keep those European hopes alive.

Colin Hendry, Kevin Gallacher and Billy McKinlay are all included in the Scotland squad for friendly against Denmark at the Parken Stadium, Copenhagen on Wednesday April 24 .

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