Blackburn casualties of bidding war for Dublin

Coventry City captain Dion Dublin is now at the centre of a bidding war after Blackburn Rovers had a £6.75 million bid for the player accepted yesterday.

Newcastle and Sheffield Wednesday immediately matched the bid and Dublin will meet Newcastle boss Ruud Gullit today to discuss a move that would see him partner England colleague Alan Shearer in the Geordie attack.

Blackburn have fallen to the back of the queue on Dublin after starting the sale off themselves with a weekend bid for the player that was accpted by the Coventry board. Newcastle are prepared to pay more wages to Dublin though to land Gullit's first major signing for the club he took over at the end of August.

Newcastle have offered £7 million for the 29 year old and Premiership strugglers Sheffield Wednesday have matched it but Dublin will favour working for Gullit at a club with no rigid pay structure enabling him to achieve a massive salary with the move from Coventry.