PER Petersen, the Danish international who was priced out of a move to Bolton Wanderers, was lined up for a £2.5 million transfer to Blackburn Rovers today.

Rovers, struggling at the wrong end of the Premiership, swooped for the 27-year-old Odense striker after being snubbed by Polish hitman Marek Citko.

Blackburn caretaker boss Tony Parkes said: "We are bringing Per over for a couple of days' training and if everything goes to plan we will be looking to sign him.

"I know enough about him, he's of international quality and a big strong forward who will be an asset to us."

But suggestions that the deal would anger Colin Todd were way off the mark.

The Burnden boss scrapped plans to sign Petersen a fortnight ago on two counts - a sudden £1 million increase in the asking price plus the player's medical history.

Wanderers were under the impression that a deal could be struck at around £1.5 million when Todd and chief executive Des McBain flew to Denmark. But they arrived in Copenhagen to discover that Odense had jacked up the fee to £2.5 million. As soon as they were quoted the higher price and learning of Petersen's history of knee trouble - he has had two long lay-offs with cruciate ligament damage - the Burnden bosses had no hesitation in pulling out.

Todd had hoped to team up Petersen with fellow Danes Per Frandsen and Michael Johansen but has since set his sights elsewhere.

Blackburn, desperate to find a quality attacker after losing Alan Shearer to Newcastle and just four points above the relegation zone, thought they had Citko in the bag when they set up a £4 million deal with Widzew Lodz. But the player pulled out of the transfer saying he preferred to stay with the Polish club. Clubs throughout Europe have been alerted to Petersen's emergence as the top striker still playing in Denmark. He scored the only goal in the friendly international against France in November and scored all four when a Danish League Xl beat the USA 4-1 on their mid-winter tour.

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