BLACKBURN Rovers striker Craig Bellamy will hold transfer talks with Liverpool after the Anfield giants triggered the release clause in the Welshman's contract last night.

After weeks of speculation, Reds boss Rafa Benitez finally made his move yesterday when he lodged a formal £6.5 million offer for the 26-year-old, who scored 17 goals in 32 appearances for Blackburn last season.

Rovers manager Mark Hughes then had a conversation with his star striker immediately after the bid was made, and the club have now reluctantly given Liverpool permission to speak with Bellamy - the offer from Anfield having met certain contractual conditions.

Chairman John Williams said today: "We have made it crystal clear to Craig and his advisors that we want him at Ewood Park.

"We made him an improved offer before Liverpool declared their interest, an offer that was consistent with our ambition and determination to build on last season's success.

"The decision now rests with the player."

Rovers have still not given up all hope of persuading Bellamy to stay at Ewood and they are prepared to make him the highest paid player in the club's history.

However, Bellamy, who is currently on holiday in Greece, appears to have set his heart on a move to Liverpool - the club he grew up supporting as a youngster - and he now looks set to fulfil his childhood dream in the next few days.

Losing Bellamy would be a massive blow to Hughes after the Rovers boss invested so much time and effort into resurrecting the striker's career last season.

While Bellamy was great for Blackburn, Hughes and Rovers were also great for him, too; they helped to restore his damaged reputation following a turbulent spell at Newcastle.

But Hughes is already working on a contingency plan should Bellamy complete his switch to Anfield and, armed with a transfer kitty of £10 million, he will look to bring in TWO top strikers to fill the void created by the Welshman's departure.

In fact, Rovers have already made one offer for a mystery target and they hope to get a firm answer on that later this week.