TURKISH midfield star Tugay is close to agreeing a new deal which will see him stay on at Blackburn Rovers next season.

As I understand it, the veteran playmaker, who has been in inspirational form for Mark Hughes' side this season, has all but shaken hands on a one-year contract extension.

The finer details have still to be finalised but both parties have reached an agreement in principle and the Turk should officially put pen to paper at some point next month when his agent, Simon Munir, returns from an overseas business trip.

The former Galatasaray ace, who returned to action after a four week lay-off at Sunderland last weekend, also had an offer to play in Qatar, where he could have netted himself a tax-free fortune.

But the 35-year-old indicated his desire to finish his career with Rovers in this very paper last week and it now looks as though he will get his wish after further dialogue has taken place between the two parties over the last 10 days.

Signing Tugay up for another season would be another vital piece in manager Mark Hughes' jigsaw as he begins the task of planning for next season.

Few players in the Premiership possess Tugay's vision and Hughes faced a thankless task trying to replace a player who has firmly established himself as a fans' favourite over the last five years.

Fellow midfielder, Robbie Savage, has certainly been impressed by the way his team-mate has defied the ageing process to play a key part in Rovers' rise up the Premier League table and he's delighted to hear he's close to extending his stay beyond the end of the season.

"I can't speak highly enough of him," said Savage.

"He's probably one of the best players I've ever played with, if not the best.

"Some of the things he does in training are amazing and everyone just wishes he was 10 years younger.

"But the old man has still got it and I'd love to see him stay here.

"He's had a great career and he's proved this season that he can still do it in the biggest league in the world. He's a credit to his profession."