London, Jan. 30 : Blackburn Rovers boss Sam Allardyce wants Portsmouth and England striker Peter Crouch to fill in the boots of Roque Santa Cruz - and is ready to make a record 10 million pound offer.

Allardyce has chased Crouch for years, but has finally been given the chance to make a proper move for him as Tottenham and Manchester City push up the bidding for Santa Cruz to 20 million pounds, the Daily Mirror reports.

The Rovers chief has already made initial soundings about Crouch and is looking at ways of landing him from cash-conscious Portsmouth and paying his king-size wages.

London  - Manchester City's hopes of signing Paraguay striker Roque Santa Cruz from Blackburn Rovers suffered a major blow on Monday as Rovers manager Sam Allardyce insisted he had no intention of selling.

City boss Mark Hughes, who left Blackburn last season, has made no secret of his admiration for the player, but Allardyce said he would consider an offer only if it was equal to the cost of relegation - estimated by him to be 40 million pounds (58.1 million dollars).