WITH Jonathan Stead bound for Sunderland, Mark Hughes will step up his search for a forward capable of curing Blackburn Rovers’ goalscoring ills by offering Craig Bellamy the chance to resurrect his Barclays Premiership career. Hughes is desperate to strengthen his attack after Blackburn finished the season as the Premiership’s lowest goalscorers and is understood to have identified Bellamy, the controversial Wales forward, as his prime target.

Gordon Strachan, the new Celtic manager, said yesterday that he had held “very positive” talks with Bellamy about making the player’s loan move from Newcastle United permanent, but Hughes will be confident of enticing the player, who would cost in the region of £5 million, to Ewood Park.

“I did make an inquiry about Craig Bellamy in January and it is something I will look at again in the summer,” Hughes said recently. “It is Newcastle’s decision as to whether they want to keep Craig, but he is a player I know well from my time as Wales manager.”

Stead is expected to join Sunderland this week after the North East club agreed a fee — believed to be about £1 million — with Blackburn for the forward. However, Blackburn confirmed that they had given permission for another club to speak to Stead, who scored only twice in 34 appearances last season.

Manchester City are interested in signing Pauleta, the Paris Saint-Germain and Portugal forward, according to Jorge Gama, the player’s agent. Bolton Wanderers are also believed to be interested in the 32-year-old, who has a year left on his contract with PSG.

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