STEVE Kean will tell Blackburn Rovers’ in-demand starlet Phil Jones ‘this is the best place for you’ as he readies himself to fend off some big bids for the youngster this summer.

Rovers’ academy product Jones is expected to be hot property in the coming months, with the Premier League’s big guns poised to swoop, but Kean is hopeful the 19-year-old’s immediate future remains at Ewood Park.

Rovers have yet to receive any official bids for either Jones or skipper Chris Samba but, with both expected to be wanted men, boss Kean is hopeful he will able to keep his stars in East Lancashire.

Jones, 19, was the subject of an £8million Arsenal bid last summer and January enquiries from Chelsea, with the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester United also understood to be interested.

His involvement in England under 21s European Championship campaign next month will only further heighten the interest in him but Kean insists Jones can flourish at Ewood Park.

He said: “You are always bracing yourself. You hear the whispers, you see the press speculation, there were offers from clubs in the last transfer window and I’m sure there will be this window.

“Phil Jones is a Rolls Royce. You look at the way he moved back to play centre half and he is a player who is always going to attract interest.

“He plays like a 28-year-old even though he is only a young player.

"He plays with experience and a calmness and when needed he shows that turn of pace that can his partner out of trouble.

"It is inevitable he will attract interest.

“I will be telling him it will be better for him to stay here for a bit longer. I don’t know if he went to a Champions League club whether he would go straight into the team.

“I think that is a big thing for us. He can play and develop for us and then, hopefully it is going to be in a lot of years time if he moves on, but I can see him becoming a captain. He has that stature.

“It would be a very, very big bid, the biggest bid we have ever had, for Phil to move to anyone.”

Another player continually linked with move to the Premier League big clubs is Samba, who at times last season stated his desire to quit Ewood in search of silverware.

The Rovers skipper has been linked with a big-money move to Arsenal but Kean hopes both he and Jones will want to remain at the club.

Kean said: “It is going to be a massive battle but the thing we have in our favour is both have signed five year deals and committed themselves to the club.

“We have put those contracts to them and if anyone is going to get them it is going to take sizeable figures because we don’t have to sell anyone.

“We hope they want to stay and be a part of what we are trying to do.

"If they don’t we will maximise the money we can get for the club and get other players but I don’t see that happening, I think both will want to stay.

“I don’t think we are powerless to keep them. If they decide they want to leave then we will take a viwe on that because we don’t want to keep someone who doesn’t want to play for us.”