METZ midfelder Mario Esperatero was at Brockhall yesterday and impressed Rovers manager Graeme Souness but the Scot confirmed this morning: "He will not be coming back.

"He is a good player but he is not what we expected and he is not what we need at the moment.

"We had been led to believe he was a wide right player but he is a central midfielder."

The Frenchman has now travelled north to Glasgow where he will have a couple of days with Rangers. He was due to return to Blackburn later in the week but Souness will not now take up that option.

Aston Villa midfielder Steve Stone remains a potential target but Souness admitted: "It is a case of having to move a couple of people on, we will have to sell.

"Birmingham City have made an enquiry about Alan Mahon but have not been back with an offer."

And despite telling Northern Ireland international Damien Johnson that he will not get a new contract in the summer, Souness insists that at the moment he will want a fee for the player.

"We have had no contact from clubs at the moment but there will be," he said.

"I have no doubt Damien will get a club but they might wait until the end of the season to get him.

"It is a question of whether teams fighting for promotion or against relegation will come in for him before then.

"But we would want a fee at this stage because we will use Damien before the end of the season. We most definitely want a fee."

With transfer deadline day just over a month away chief executive John Williams is not surprised that the transfer speculation surrounding the club is growing, one story linking full back John Curtis with a move to Wolves.

"That is not true but it is not a surprise," he said. "It is that time of the year."

But he did confirm that if manager Graeme Souness is to sign Aston Villa's Stone some players will have to make way for him.

"Having bought Andy Cole we will look to do some trading," he confirmed although he insisted that Souness is in no hurry to sell Mahon despite the interest from Birmingham boss Steve Bruce.