LUCAS Neill will join Liverpool in the next seven days after Blackburn Rovers last night reluctantly agreed to let him go.

Manager Mark Hughes attended a board meeting yesterday and it was decided that Neill could leave the club, providing a suitable replacement is found.

Hughes wants a player-swap for the Aussie international and the man at the top of his list is Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock, who he tried to sign last summer.

Rovers and Liverpool must now haggle over their respective valuations of the two players but, assuming a compromise can be reached, a deal is expected to go through early next week.

Several other clubs, including West Ham and Newcastle, have also expressed an interest in Neill, but Liverpool hold the trump card in Warnock, who is seen by Hughes as a ready-made replacement.

However, the Rovers chief is also interested in a couple of other targets if the Liverpool deal falls through, and I can confirm that he has enquired about the availability of West Ham's Paul Konchesky.

Neill's imminent departure will finally bring an end to a saga that has been rumbling on since this time last year.

Rovers have tried on a number of occasions to persuade the defender to sign a new contract, but he has rejected those offers, insisting he wants a new challenge elsewhere.

Hughes was prepared to keep the player at Blackburn until his contract runs out at the end of the season, even if that meant losing him on a free transfer.

But Rovers' recent upturn in fortunes, and the opportunity to get something back for a player who cost £1 million from Millwall five and a half years ago, has prompted the Welshman into a rethink of his strategy.

Neill may already have played his last game for the club because even if his move doesn't go through until next week, Hughes is unlikely to risk him against Arsenal at the weekend in case he picks up an injury.

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