CHRIS Samba is an injury doubt for Blackburn Rovers’ Premier League opener against Wolves – leaving Steve Kean desperate to ease a potential defensive crisis with a new signing.

The Rovers skipper missed Saturday’s 4-1 friendly win at Kilmarnock with a ‘niggling groin injury’ and will undergo a scan early this week as Kean’s def-ensive options look increasingly limited.

With club captain Ryan Nelsen still out as he recovers from knee surgery, Gael Givet and Grant Hanley are the club’s only current fit centre halves with the new season just six days away.

Kean has revealed he is waiting to hear whether a bid for a new centre-back has been accepted as he stresses the importance of finally replacing Phil Jones, who left Ewood for Manchester United earlier this summer.

Passport issues have left Rovers all but given up on Monaco defender Cedric Mongongu.

However, Kean is hopeful his new unnamed target could be at the club by Saturday.

Hanley, who partnered Givet at Kilmarnock at the weekend, will meet up with Scotland for international duty today, leaving Kean fearful of even further defensive injury problems.

He said: “Chris Samba has a niggling groin and I think we will have to get that looked at, get a full scan on it early next week because that keeps reoccurring which is disappointing.

“We are always hopeful though because we have got a fantastic medical team and if they can’t get him fit it is because he is nowhere near.

“If they can and he is touch and go I am sure he will be out there.

"It does make the search for a centre back a little bit more important but that has always been the case.

“Even if Chris had been playing and fit we have always been searching for a centre back because we haven’t replaced Phil Jones yet and we want to make sure we have good competition for places.

“If Gael Givet or Grant Hanley get injured then we don’t have a centre back because Ryan is still injured.

"We certainly need another centre back.

“The search is going well. We are quite close. An offer has been put in and we are trying to progress that although it is slow.

"The good news is it hasn’t been rejected so we are moving forward.”

Meanwhile Kean has rubbished reports that Spurs tabled an offer for Samba last week.

He said: “There have been no bids for Chris Samba. I answer it every week.

"There have been no phone calls and no bids and long may that continue.”