BLACKBURN Rovers have opened talks with Lucas Neill about a lucrative new contract.

Manager Mark Hughes is hoping to ward off potential suitors by securing the services of the Australian international on a new long-term deal before he disappears for the World Cup finals in the summer.

The 28-year-old fullback, who recently clocked up 150 Premiership appearances for Rovers, has been in outstanding form this season, appearing in all but four of the club's 39 games to date.

Now Hughes is looking to reward the former Millwall star with a fresh deal to replace his existing one, which only has a year left to run.

Rovers chairman, John Williams, said today: "We've had preliminary talks with Lucas's camp so the process has started with his intermediaries."

Neill is one of several key players currently in negotiations with the club about a new contract.

Tugay, Paul Dickov and Michael Gray - whose deals expire this summer - are currently considering offers to stay on, while preliminary talks have also taken place with Steven Reid's advisers about extending the Republic of Ireland international's terms beyond the end of next season.

On top of that, Williams is also planning to strike a new deal with Hughes and further talks with the manager are planned for early next month.

For the time being, though, everyone's focus at Ewood remains firmly on the task of qualifying for Europe and, with seven games to go, Rovers are looking good for a top six finish.

Saturday's hard-earned victory at Sunderland saw the club move back up to fifth position in the table and with Rovers not in action again until next Monday, when Wigan visit Ewood, Hughes has taken advantage of the enforced break by giving his players a few days off to rest and recuperate.

In the meantime, the Rovers boss went abroad at the weekend to watch a potential transfer target in action, but the club have quashed speculation linking them with a summer swoop for Espanyol's £6 million-rated striker Raul Tamudo.