ITALIAN hitman Ciccio Grabbi is ready to seek showdown talks about his future after insisting today he wants to stay at Ewood.

Reports in Italy continue to link the former Juventus star with a move back home amidst claims he has failed to settle in England.

But the injury-plagued striker has slammed suggestions he has set his heart on a move to Napoli.

And has vowed to meet manager Graeme Souness and the Rovers board to seek reassurances regarding his future.

"I know the papers have said I'm unhappy in England but as far as I am concerned I am happy over here and I want to stay at Blackburn," said Grabbi.

"I know the Press in Italy have linked me with a move to clubs like Napoli, Bologna and Venezia.

"But I had the choice of going to one of those clubs in the summer and I chose to come here instead and this is where I still want to play.

"So I don't like it when people write in the paper that 'Grabbi's not happy in England' because it's simply not true.

"Obviously, it's difficult for me at the moment because I've had five injuries in three months which has meant I've hardly played any games yet.

"But I don't have a problem with the club -- I'm very happy to stay here and the people have been very good with me.

"So maybe I need to speak to the manager and the chairman about all this speculation."

Grabbi's pledge is sure to be warmly welcomed by Souness but it sill might not be enough to guarantee his future at Ewood.

Rovers have had dialogue with several clubs in Italy about the 26-year-old frontman.

And, if someone was stump up a bid in the region of £6 million when the Italian transfer window opens next week, then Souness may yet be tempted to cash in on a player who has yet to complete a full 90 minutes in Blackburn shirt since his summer move from Ternana.

Meanwhile, Rovers marched into the quarter finals of the Worthington Cup last night thanks to a 2-0 win over 10-man Manchester City.

"I think the sending off ruined it as a spectacle for the neutral but to play against 10 men is never easy.

"Maybe if we'd scored our second goal a little bit earlier it might have made them step out a bit more which would have made it a more entertaining game for the fans.

"But I felt it was quite a comfortable night for us in the end.

"We had arguably seven of our first 11 missing last night so it was good to give some of the other players a run out and one or two of them did well."

"So we're through to the next round, it's always nice to have a run in a cup, but as always, the league remains our priority."

The draw for the last eight will be made tonight after Tottenham's clash with Fulham at Craven Cottage.