PER Frandsen's £2.25 million transfer to Blackburn Rovers was expected to be finalised today.

The deal between Wanderers and their Division One rivals and neighbours has been agreed subject to the midfielder passing a medical examination.

Provided the formalities are complete, the deal - an initial £1.75m rising to £2.25 linked to appearances - will bring an end to the hard-working, sharpshooting Dane's impressive spell with Wanderers, which kicked off in July 1996 when he was signed from FC Copenhagen in a £1.3 million joint deal with Michael Johansen, Frandsen being priced at just £300,000.

He gained instant success, playing a key role in the Division One title triumph of 1996-7 and regaining his international status with Denmark on the strength of his performances in a Bolton shirt.

He was a Premiership ever-present in 97-98 and played in the World Cup Finals in France.

Despite signing a new contract with Wanderers midway through last season, the club's failure to regain their Premiership status saw him to activate a clause in his agreement allowing him to speak to other clubs.

Colin Todd had been resigned to losing his influential midfield dynamo in the summer but the only offer he received was a £1 million bid from Bradford, which he dismissed as "an insult" to the player. So it was with some relief that he was able to include the 29-year-old in his plans at the start of the current season.

But, after Frandsen turned in one of his most impressive appearances to rescue a point in a 3-3 draw with Birmingham City at the Reebok on Sept 5, Todd admitted it was only a matter of time before Wanderers received an offer they saimply couldn't refuse.

He made his position clear that day, however, when he said he would recommend that any offers be turned down, underlining the point with the now fateful line: "If this football club was to lose Per Frandsen it would be one of the biggest disappointments of my managerial career."

For his part, Frandsen has always said he was happy at Bolton but he is still ambitious and in Blackburn sees better prospects of a return to the Premiership, which is where he wants to play. "Per's attitude has always been tremendous," Wanderers' chief executive, Des McBain, said. "he's been a model professional - even during the period when there has been all the talk over him leaving."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.