Is that a smile on Steve Kean's face?

It may be a bit too early to get massively over excited just yet but there is no doubt that the dark cloud hanging over Ewood Park in the last few months is starting to lift.

With the summer a tough proposition you could be forgiven for thinking that sometimes your luck isn't in.

But news reaches us that Rovers are very close to sealing THREE new signings - one striker, one midfielder and one defender.

The names (although not mentioned by Steve Kean himself) are FC Dallas' George John, Simon Vukcevic and Bosnian International Vedad Ibisevic.

All three are close to finalising moves with Vukcevic the most imminent with his medical set to be completed early today.

Kean told the Lancashire Telegraph - "A couple of bids have been accepted. We`ve got scans booked in, personal terms agreed. That`s always good. "Vukcevic is the midfielder, the striker we can`t say because we are still in negotiations, while the defender will be in for a medical tomorrow (Friday).

"I am bearing up well, when you can get your key players back on the pitch, when you get bids accepted, when you know there are medicals in place, when you see things coming together, then you are going to have a smile on your face because you know what type of squad you are going to have.

"I can reassure the fans we have three players in already, and I think we will have another four players in before the window closes. It will certainly be three but it could well be four. So seven new faces in one transfer window and that has been good.

"The three players we are hoping to sign are all permanent and the fourth would be permanent as well. We are keeping our loans for last minute stuff."

One thing is for sure is that all three will need work permit's, but Lisbon's Vukcevic should qualify for one automatically... giving him a 'sporting' chance (oh I do make myself laugh) of facing Villa.

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