NIKLAS Gudmundsson is set to complete a permanent move from Swedish club Halmstad to Blackburn Rovers in the next couple of days - if all parties are happy with a deal, writes PETER WHITE.

The Swedish international's extended loan period at Ewood ends this week and Rovers are in the process of conducting negotiations to see whether a transfer can be thrashed out for the 24-year-old.

Contrasting reports have been published in the national Press in the last few days - all of them wrong.

One said that Rovers had decided to send Gudmundsson back to Scandinavia this week, another that he had already signed a three-year contract.

Yet another suggested they were sending him to Southampton!

The truth of the matter is that, since Gudmundsson's loan deal was first arranged, things have changed dramatically because of the Bosman case.

Halmstad originally wanted more than £1.5 million for the international forward.

I understand that Rovers have been talking to the Swedes to renegotiate the fee, because of the vastly-changed circumstances. But, equally important, they have to sit down and talk to the player. They will want to know how he feels about taking on the challenge of fighting for a first team place at Ewood and discuss personal terms if it is decided to make the move permanent.

Gudmundsson has expressed his eagerness to try to make the grade in the Premiership and he has easily settled in at Ewood.

If the deal does go through, it would not affect the club's attempts to pull off a couple of major signings.

They are still very much in the market for top names like Trevor Sinclair of QPR.

Latest player to be linked with Rovers is Grimsby's versatile England under-21 star Gary Croft.

Manager Ray Harford knows Croft from the international squad but Grimsby boss Brian Laws said today that he did not envisage any players leaving Blundell Park in the immediate future.

Spurs boss Gerry Francis once described Croft as the best two-footed player outside the Premiership.

Goals from James Beattie and Graham Cassin gave Rovers A team a 2-0 away win over Morecambe Reserves.

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