ROVERS transfer target Corrado Grabbi today hinted he's set his heart on a move to Ewood.

Grabbi exclusively spoke to the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, saying: 'The thought of playing in the Premiership really excites me.'

The 25-year-old striker flew into Manchester last night to start talks over personal terms after Rovers virtually agreed a £6.75 million deal with his Serie B side Ternana.

And the prospect of proving himself in English football's top-flight is clearly a challenge which appeals to the former Juventus starlet.

"I'm looking forward to seeing what Blackburn have to say and if, everything goes well, then, hopefully, I will be joining them," Grabbi told the Evening Telegraph.

"I am excited about the prospect of playing in the English Premiership."

Born in Turin, Grabbi kicked off his professional career at Juve where he made his debut in a 4-3 win against Lazio in 1994.

He was then loaned out to Italian Third Division side Sparta Novara to gain some vital first team experience, scoring eight goals in 31 games, before returning to Juve for whom he scored once in two full appearances.

From there, he spent two further spells on loan with Serie B sides Lucchese and Chievco.

But it was when he joined Third Division side Modena, that his career really took off.

In the season 1996-97, he scored 15 times in 37 appearances.

And his goal-per-game ratio was even better the season after, notching 15 times from 27 starts.

From there, he then moved on to Ternana and that's when the big boys really sat up and took note.

After scoring 18 goals in another loan spell for Ravenna last season, Barcelona, AC Milan and Real Madrid were all said to be monitoring his progress.

And a further 20 goals this season for Ternana -- which saw him finish up as the second top scorer in Serie B -- attracted firm interest from Serie A sides Udinese and Fiorentina.

However, the player himself now appears to be leaning towards a move to England.

And, though he speaks little English, the fact that Rovers boss Graeme Souness speaks Italian could well ease any language barriers.

The pair met up for a meal last night following Grabbi's delayed arrival at Manchester Airport.

And, providing talks go well today, he could even become a Rovers player by the end of the day -- Souness's first significant capture of the summer.