GAEL Givet is expected to play on through an FA investigation into his reported claims a £50,000 ‘bung’ was paid over his transfer to Blackburn Rovers in 2009.

Football’s governing bodies have confirmed they will look into the allegations after Givet was said to have told a national newspaper he was persuaded to pay the sum to an unlicensed middleman for helping engineer his £3.5million switch from Marseille.

Blackburn Rovers were not implicated in yesterday’s investigation in the Sun but the club have said they would fully co-operate with any FA inquiry.

Givet has been embroiled in a long-running dispute with Rovers over who is responsible for a payment due to the Inland Revenue and had threatened to take the club to a tribunal.

The news the FA will now probe Givet’s latest comments could not have come at a worse time for the club, with a survival shoot-out at Molineux just days away.

He will be available for selection for Sunday’s crucial Premier League finale at Wolves, although boss Steve Kean will have to be sure he is in the right frame of mind before selecting him.

The 29-year-old has put the off-field saga to the back of his mind over the last few months to play a key role in Rovers’ battle to beat the drop.

Givet was withdrawn from the home match against Birmingham on April 9 after he told boss Steve Kean he was ‘not in the right frame of mind’, but has since turned in a series of starring performances.

With skipper Chris Samba still a doubt for the trip to the Midlands with a tight hamstring and centre back partner Ryan Nelsen already ruled out for the campaign, Givet’s Sunday involvement looks increasingly vital.

He trained with the squad as normal yesterday and both player and the club don’t expect the latest storm to stop him playing at Wolves on Sunday.

Rovers know anything but victory at the weekend will leave them sweating on results elsewhere to guarantee their top flight survival.

The man named as taking the cash from Givet is not registered with the FA as an agent and was unavailable for comment yesterday.

FA regulations state that licensed agents are the only third party allowed to be paid for a transfer.

The FA will look at the evidence before deciding whether to pursue the matter.

“We will be looking into the material and the issues that may be raised by the content,” said an FA spokesman.