BLACKBURN Rovers chairman John Williams insists the club remains on course to name a new boss by the end of next week.

Williams will step up the interview process over the next few days and, if all goes to plan, then a successor to Mark Hughes could be formally appointed by next weekend.

However, the chances of that man being the former Chelsea coach, Henk Ten Cate, appear to have diminished after unconfirmed reports, emanating from Greece, last night claimed the Dutchman had agreed to become the new manager of Panathinaikos.

Speaking exclusively to the Lancashire Telegraph, Williams said: "We are still on target to make an appointment by the end of next week - that's still my plan.

"We've got some busy days ahead, between now and the middle of next week, but if all goes to plan then we should be in a position to make an announcement by the weekend."

With Ten Cate now seemingly out of the running, after Panathinaikos ran a story on their official club website yesterday claiming he had agreed a two-year deal with them, the former Bolton boss Sam Allardyce, and the current MK Dons manager Paul Ince, are the clear bookmakers' favourites for the Rovers job.

Former England midfielder Ince, who took MK Dons to the League Two title last season, yesterday ruled himself out of a move to Leicester, whose chairman Milan Mandaric made an official approach last week, fuelling rumours that he was waiting for an approach from Rovers instead.

A statement released by MK Dons read: "Following discussions between the chairman and Paul Ince, it has been decided that Paul will not be pursuing the opportunity at Leicester City.

"Given Paul's success in his emerging managerial career, it can come as no surprise that speculation continues to see his name linked with a number of managerial vacancies.

"In spite of this, as we look forward to the forthcoming League One season, the club remains committed to keeping the hottest young manager in English football."

The Panathinaikos website, meanwhile, trumpeted Ten Cate's signing, with the Dutchman allegedly saying: "I'm delighted to have reached an agreement with Panathinaikos FC.

"In my career I have been used to working at the highest level of competition, and that's one of the reasons why I consider this new step to be a great challenge.

"Panathinaikos' organisation, history, ambition and attitude towards football in general match those of the greatest football clubs in Europe, so I' m confident that we will achieve our goals.

"I'm looking forward to coming to Athens and meeting my players."

Rovers have a target list of people they plan to interview over the next few days, and the board will then make an appointment based on the outcome of that process.