FORMER Zimbabwe captain Benjani Mwaruwari says he would like to stay at Blackburn, despite media reports saying new West Ham boss Sam Allardyce will target him during the summer.
The 32-year-old watched Zimbabwe beat Mali 2-1 at Rufaro on Sunday, and will not return to England until July 4.
“Nothing will be decided until after I return from my break. I would obviously like to stay at Blackburn because I think I still got the legs for one more season at the top, we’ll see how the talks go when I get back,” said Mwaruwari, who is a free agent after his one-year contract with the Premier League club ran out at the end of the 2010/11 season.
Mwaruwari says he would like to stay in Manchester where he lives with his family, allowing him to commute to nearby Blackburn for training.
Former Blackburn boss Allardyce took over as manager of relegated West Ham last week, and British newspapers have been speculating that he will try to reunite with Benjani, whom he brought to Ewood Park from Manchester City.
But Rovers manager Steve Kean insists Mwaruwari may still have a future in Lancashire, despite limited appearances, usually off the bench.
“We are hopeful that we can put something together for him,” said Kean, who took over from Allardyce last December.
“It will probably come on the FA website that he is a free transfer but we want him here. We haven't gone into detail with Benji but I said to him I would like to put something towards him and that will hopefully be done soon.
"He has done really well for us. The type of lad he is, he is happy to have a role as an impact player as a substitute or if he is in good form and has a run in the team, then I think he has shown he is a guy defenders don't want to play against.
"He certainly had a strong end to the season."
Benjani scored three goals in 21 appearances for Blackburn, including a double in Blackburn’s 3-1 win over Liverpool in January which led to the sacking of Reds boss, Roy Hodgson.