BLACKBURN Rovers have made contact with both Alan Shearer AND Sam Allardyce as the race to appoint Mark Hughes' successor hots up.

The Lancashire Telegraph can reveal that chairman John Williams has spoken to Shearer about the prospect of becoming the club's new manager..

However, the former Ewood ace is by no means a shoo-in' for the job at this stage, as we understand Allardyce has also been invited for an interview.

A source close to Shearer claims Williams contacted the former Ewood number nine, initially by text, to establish whether he would be interested in making a sensational return to the club where he first made his name as a player.

Shearer, who is currently working for the BBC at the European Championships in Austria and Switzerland, then apparently called the Rovers chairman back, and the pair discussed the vacant manager's job in greater detail.

It is thought that during the course of their conversation, Shearer did declare he was interested in the post, but also had several reservations, mainly concerning the level of financial backing he would receive.

According to his close friends in the game, Shearer is itching to get into management and sees the Rovers job as an attractive proposition, but he fears it could be difficult to improve on Hughes' record unless there is money available for new signings.

Allardyce, meanwhile, also remains firmly in the running, and will get interviewed later this week once he returns from the Middle East, where he is currently working as a pundit for a TV station covering the European Championships.

Although the former Bolton boss would not be a popular choice with the fans (he has attracted just 10 per cent of the vote in a special poll on our website), he does have a track record of delivering success on a tight budget, and has supporters on the Rovers board.

Paul Ince is also thought to be on the shortlist, although his club, MK Dons, last night insisted they have yet to be approached by Rovers.

The club intends to speak to all of the shortlisted candidates before making a final decision, and Williams and his fellow directors still have an open mind as to which direction they will turn.

However, it looks increasingly like it could be next week now before the new man is finally installed.