Benjani close to Blackburn move

Zimbabwe striker Benjani Mwaruwari is close to joining Premier League club Blackburn Rovers.

Benjani is a free agent after being released by Manchester City and has been training with Blackburn in the hope of earning a contract with Sam Allardyce’s team.

The 32-year-old former Portsmouth star has done enough in his brief spell with Rovers to convince Allardyce he still has what it takes to make an impact in the English top-flight.

Allardyce said: “We are trying to sign him on a contract because of his wealth of experience.

“He has trained with us a few days. He has shown us that we think he will be okay to play for us in the Premier League. So we are trying to sort something out.”

Benjani, who has 43 caps for Zimbabwe, was unable to break into the City team after Roberto Mancini took charge at Eastlands and spent the second half of last season on loan at Sunderland, where he failed to score in eight appearances.