BLACKBURN manager Mark Hughes is relishing the chance to take a closer look at Olympiakos striker Yianniakis Okkas.

The Cypriot international will spend four days with Rovers later this month after being invited over to England for a trial.

And if he makes a suitable impression then Hughes will look to push through a cut-price deal for the forward, who is desperate to play in the Premiership.

Hughes first became aware of Okkas in the summer after he was instrumental in helping Olympiakos crush Rovers in a pre-season friendly.

The 29-year-old scored in that 5-0 victory for the Greeks, and Rovers have been monitoring his progress ever since.

Now Hughes wants a closer look at the player before deciding whether or not to pursue his interest in the January transfer window - a policy that has paid dividends for him in the past with Ryan Nelsen and Aaron Mokoena.

"He's a guy that we became aware of in pre-season," revealed Hughes.

"He played against us for Olympiakos and did very well, and we've since kept an eye on him.

"An opportunity then came up to bring him in to have a closer look.

"We've always taken the opportunity to have a look at players first hand.

"He'll come here for a couple of days, we'll have a closer look at him, and we'll then be able to make a better judgement based on that."

Okkas has already publicly stated he would jump at the chance of joining Rovers on a permanent basis should the trial spell work out for both parties.

But Hughes could still face competition for his signature as Newcastle are also thought to be in the frame for a player who is out of contract at the end of the season.

"As far as I'm aware he's going to come in and train with us for a few days.

"I've no idea whether or not any other clubs are interested," said the Rovers boss.