Blackburn Rovers boss Sam Allardyce could face a fight to capture the signature of Jerome Rothen after Premier League rivals Portsmouth reportedly entered the race for the Paris St Germain winger.

'Big Sam' has been on the trail of the 31-year-old for most of the summer after new PSG coach Antoine Kombouare made it clear that the former Monaco ace did not feature in his plans at the Parc de Princes next season.

This had appeared to open the door for a move to Ewood Park with Allardyce said to be a long-term admirer of the player, who formed a devastating partnership with Manchester United full-back Patrice Evra down the left-flank at Monaco as they reached the final of the UEFA Champions League in 2004.

The Rovers boss is eager to to strengthen his squad ahead of his side's opening day fixture at home to Manchester City on Auguest 15th and as well as Rothen is known to be keen on bringing a proven goalscorer to the club with Ruud van Nistelrooy, Darren Bent and Marc Janko all linked in recent weeks.

However, Pompey are also believed to have targeted Rothen, who has won 13 caps for his country, as he fits the bill of a cheap and experienced option for the Fratton Park outfit as they wait for Sulaiman Al Fahim's takeover of the club to be completed.

With a host of players departing the club following the end of their contracts last month and having only 15 players left on their books, Pompey are said to be considering a number of bargain options.

Another one of those is believed to be Cameroon international midfielder Modeste M'bami, who is available on a free transfer from Ligue 1 side Marseille and has also been linked with a move to Blackburn recently.