ITALIAN international striker Pierluigi Casiraghi is the latest big-name striker to be linked with Blackburn Rovers, as the search for reinforcements continues.

And, with a surplus of strikers at Casiraghi's Serie A club Lazio, it could be more than just idle speculation.

Intriguingly, the man in charge of Lazio is none other than Sven Goran Eriksson who would have been the manager at Ewood if he hadn't decided to stay in Italy.

With Eriksson having taken his 'favourite son' Roberto Mancini with him from Sampdoria when he moved in summer, the Serie A club are in a position to unload at least one striker.

And they might well feel the time is right to let Casiraghi leave.

There would be plenty of interested clubs. But, if a report today on the sort of money it would take to persuade the Lazio man to leave Rome is correct, there would have to be a lot of hard bargaining.

A fee of £7 million has been mentioned in speculation with a figure of £2 million a year quoted for wages.

While the fee for the 28-year-old would not be a problem for a number of clubs - including Rovers - many would baulk at such personal terms.

Ewood boss Roy Hodgson will know all about the player, and not only from his own time in Italy.

Casiraghi has an international reputation and is a member of the Italian squad.

With Per Pedersen having joined Borussia Moenchengladbach on extended loan, Hodgson is down to three experienced strikers. He wants competition for places as well as needing cover in case of injuries to either Chris Sutton or Kevin Gallacher, who have claimed the two striking roles so far this season.

Martin Dahlin has been unavailable recently because of a back injury.

The Swede had injections to help his recovery and Hodgson was hopeful he might be able to restart training this week.

Dahlin has been hampered by niggling injuries since his £1.6 million summer move from Lazio's bitter rivals Roma.

Meanwhile, Ewood defender Chris Coleman received a shock late call-up to the Welsh squad for tonight's friendly against world champions Brazil.

The Rovers defender, who has yet to play a Premiership match since rupturing an Achilles tendon over a year ago, was in a 16-man Welsh squad which flew to Brasilia.

Coleman has played several reserve games and has also appeared in the Coca-Cola Cup on his comeback for Rovers.

But the international call, following a crop of injuries for Welsh boss Bobby Gould, still came as a big surprise and, in view of the size of the squad, he will certainly be involved.

Colin Hendry had intended to travel to France with the Scottish squad - even though there was no chance of him playing against the World Cup hosts because of his knee injury.

But he made the decision to stay at home when pregnant wife Denise suffered a slipped disc.

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