STEVE Kean is bidding to secure the long term futures of several of his coveted Blackburn Rovers stars – insisting keeping them at the club would prove ‘major signings’.

While the Rovers boss attempts to bolster his squad further from outside this month, he also admitted work is going on behind the scenes to keep his current squad together.

Schalke midfielder Jermaine Jones was unveiled as a Rovers player today after agreeing his loan move yesterday and is Kean’s second signing after the arrival of Roque Santa Cruz from Manchester City at the end of last week.

He remains hopeful of adding more new faces before the close of the window, with Barcelona striker Ruben Rochina still understood to be on the radar, but has stressed the importance of strengthening from within as well.

He said: “We would like to sort out our current players before the window closes.

"Anyone we want to extend we would like to get it sorted this month.

“That helps them and it helps us because there might be interest for these players during this window.

"It is almost like a signing and if we can get an extension in place for a number of these lads then the timing is right to do it now.”

Jason Roberts told the Lancashire Telegraph on Thursday he is in talks to extend his contract that expires this summer as Rovers look to ward off interest from Wigan, QPR and several foreign suitors.

Kean will also look to secure Michel Salgado for another season, with the Spaniard keen to stay at Ewood, while the Rovers boss will be anxious to extend deals for key players out of contract in the summer of 2012.

He is confident goalkeeper Paul Robinson will even sign an extension to keep him at Rovers for the rest of his career, with his current deal still having two-and-a-half years to run.

Chris Samba’s Ewood Park future remains uncertain after the skipper admitted he would consider leaving this month.

But, with Aston Villa unlikely to follow up tentative enquiries, Kean is also hoping the defender will commit himself to the club by penning a new deal.

“Michel Salgado and Jason Roberts are in that bracket,” he said.

“Paul Robinson wants to extend his deal, hopefully Chris Samba will want to extend his contract.

“These are like major signings for us even though they are at the club.

"If guys like this want to extend their contracts until the end of their years it is massive.”

However, Pascal Chimbonda, Zurab Khizanishvili, Jason Brown and Maceo Rigters will all leave the club when their contracts expire this summer, if not before.

Kean is also hoping to see a few more of his fringe players leave the club on loan in the next couple of weeks.

The likes of Aaron Doran, Josh Morris and Herold Goulon expected to follow Amine Linganzi and Nick Blackman out on temporary moves.

It is also understood Rovers would be willing to listen to offers for El-Hadji Diouf with his representatives admitting the midfielder was looking to move on.

Kean said: “Hopefully when people come in, players who will fall out of the squad and we will see if we can get them out to play football.

"There will be more interest as the window closes.”

Kean returns from a meeting with the club’s owners in India today, with his transfer strategy and potential new three-year contract understood to have been on the agenda.