GALATASARAY are expecting to announce the signing of Vince Grella in the next 48 hours but any official Blackburn Rovers move for Real Madrid star Guti will remain on the back burner.

A deal in principle for in the region of £2million was agreed between the Turkish giants and Rovers late last week and, after an unexpected delay, sources close to Galatasaray claim Grella has now agreed to the move and personal terms almost sorted.

The Ewood Park outfit have yet to receive official confirmation from either Galatasaray or the player’s agent but also expect the move to be finalised before Grella’s World Cup campaign starts on Monday.

Grella’s Australian team mates Harry Kewell and Lucas Neill, both already at Galatasaray, are believed to have played a pivotal role in the move along with former Rovers legend Tugay, now part of the youth set up at the Turkish club.

Tugay said: “Grella is a very solid player. He has shown that in Italy and Britain and he will help us a lot.”

Should a contract not be signed before Australia’s South Africa 2010 opener against Germany on Sunday evening though, the possibility of Grella remaining a Rovers player would increase significantly.

For the moment though, Rovers are expecting Sam Allardyce’s summer transfer kitty to be boosted to the tune of £2million, funds that could prove vital in their search for a striker.

The midfielder would be unlikely to be replaced like for like, with Allardyce making his attempts to bolster their firepower options the immediate priority.