Manchester City striker Roque Santa Cruz is on the verge of completing his return to Blackburn Rovers.
The two clubs have agreed a loan deal until the end of the season when the move is expected to become permanent providing Santa Cruz, 29, stays generally free of injury.
Blackburn, who also hope to finalise an £800,000 deal for Barcelona striker Ruben Rochina, will pay most of the Paraguay international’s £90,000-a-week wages but the deal still represents good business.
Roque Santa Cruz
Rovers are ready to allow midfielder Amine Linganzi, 21, join Preston on loan.
Blackburn boss Steve Kean is ready to close a deal to bring Roque Santa Cruz back to Ewood Park on loan – by paying all of the Manchester City striker’s £90,000-a-week wages.
Kean believes Rovers can bring the best out their former star, who has had an injury-plagued 18-month spell at City since he was sold for £17million.
Having initially asking City to sponsor the transfer by continuing to pay a portion of the Paraguayan’s salary, Rovers’ moneymen have now come up with an offer that makes the Eastlands side prepared to let him go.
Santa Cruz had also been cleared to speak to Italian giants Lazio, who were offering a permanent deal, but he would rather stay in the northwest of England, where his family are settled.
Kean hopes to clinch the move in time for the striker to be part of this weekend’s trip to Chelsea, although his lack of match practice would mean he’d probably only be a sub.
The new Rovers chief is also expecting to have Barcelona’s young striker Ruben Rochina signed for his new-look squad within days.
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Blackburn Rovers have completed the signing of their former striker Roque Santa Cruz from Manchester City.
The 29-year-old Paraguayan had a medical at Ewood Park on Friday and tied up the loose ends of his loan switch until the end of the season.
“When Blackburn showed an interest in me, it was very easy to decide,” he told BBC Radio Lancashire.
Santa Cruz, who played for Rovers from 2007-09, could feature in their Premier League game at Chelsea on Saturday.
He added: “I felt a bit ignored by the manager (Roberto Mancini). It’s been hard not to play and not to be chosen even though I felt great to play so I’m very excited about being back here to strengthen a team that are already very good.
“It will be my aim to perform now so at the end of the season we can maybe do something permanently.”
The former Bayern Munich striker scored 29 goals in 70 games during his first spell at Ewood Park following a £3.8m move from German giants Bayern Munich.
Blackburn boss Steve Kean has won the race for Birmingham winger Sebastian Larsson – but is willing to wait until summer to clinch the deal.
Kean wants the Swede, and his chances were boosted when Larsson turned down offers from both Newcastle and Sunderland.
Larsson has told pals he fancies the move to Rovers, but is prepared to hold on until his contract expires to put pen to paper.
Rovers are also happy to sit it out, leaving Birmingham manager Alex McLeish with a major problem as he has already brought in David Bentley from Tottenham on loan to fill the position.
Meanwhile, striker Roque Santa Cruz will sign for Rovers today for £2million to return to his old stamping ground and is likely to figure against Chelsea tomorrow as sub.