BOLTON Wanderers' Danish international midfielder Per Frandsen was today set to join Blackburn Rovers in a £1.75 million deal.

The signing of the 29-year-old, for a fee which will rise to £2.25 million depending on appearances, will be a major tonic for Rovers' promotion aspirations.

But it proved to be the last straw for Bolton boss Colin Todd, who resigned this morning.

Rovers boss Brian Kidd was today holding further talks with the player, who joined Bolton from FC Copenhagen for £300,000 just over three years ago.

And barring any late hitches and a successful medical, Frandsen will complete his switch from the Reebok Stadium to solve Rovers' midfield problems.

Ewood chief executive John Williams confirmed: "We have agreed terms with Bolton. We are in discussions with the player over personal terms and there will be a medical. We are optimistic and would hope to announce the signing later today."

A chronic injury list has left Blackburn under-manned in midfield this season and after hearing that Garry Flitcroft will be sidelined for a further four months with a knee problem, Kidd has made his move.

"We have set out our stall," added Williams. "We are running, in business terms, a high-risk strategy with our ambition to get back (into the Premiership) in one go.

"Brian felt he needed that extra cover when the news on Garry came through to help make that strategy work.

"We are not throwing money around willy-nilly but we do mean business."

And Rovers look as though they have pulled of a smart deal in capturing Frandsen, rated one of the best players in the Nationwide League and who also looked comfortable on the Premiership stage two seasons ago, for an initial outlay of under £2 million.

Consistently one of Bolton's top performers since his arrival from Denmark, Frandsen has barely missed a game for the club.

His performances during Wanderers' romp to the First Division title in 1997 earned him a recall to the Danish international squad and a place at France 98 last summer.

And the attacking midfielder, capped 18 times by his country, was an ever-present in Bolton's last Premiership campaign.

However, Bolton's failure to bounce back to the top-flight via the play-offs in May, when they lost to Watford in the final, meant Frandsen activated a clause in his contract allowing him to talk to other interested clubs who met the player's valuation. Bradford City made a bid of just over £1 million during the summer but that was rejected out of hand by Todd.

However, Rovers' offer has been accepted by cash-strapped Bolton and Frandsen is likely to be a Blackburn player before tonight's Worthington Cup return leg against Portsmouth, with his debut set to come at home to Walsall on Saturday.

Todd is also looking for a new club after ending his three-and-a-half-year reign as Bolton manager today.

Todd, previously number two to Bruce Rioch and Roy McFarland, said recently that losing Frandsen would be one of the biggest blows of his managerial career.

And frustrated by financial restraints, which would not be eased by the sale of Frandsen to Rovers, he said his position had become "untenable."

"Under the circumstances I am disappointed," said Todd. "I felt this club, with the players I wanted to bring in, would have been in a strong position to go further.

"It's become a situation now that with the players I have got, it's going to be very, very difficult to put the club into the direction I want it to go.

"And the sale of Per makes it more unbearable for myself and for the players."

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