Blackburn reinforce squad

Blackburn Rovers FC have signed forward Yordi on loan from Real Zaragoza and are poised to complete the signing of Turkish international Hakan Ünsal from Galatasaray SK.

Cup final debut
Spanish striker Yordi will make his Blackburn debut in Sunday's English League Cup final against Tottenham Hotspur FC at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, but the club are still waiting to see whether they will receive a work permit for Hakan.

Hakan hold-up
"We thought he had his 75 per cent of appearances for Turkey but unfortunately he hasn't quite done that, so we have to go to a hearing next Wednesday to see if we can get a work permit," said Blackburn manager Graeme Souness, a former coach of Galatasaray.

Experienced international
The left-sided defender and experienced international has been sidelined at Galatasaray since handing in a transfer request in December. Hakan has been seeking first-team football in order to prove his form and fitness in time for this summer's FIFA World Cup finals.

'Red tape'
Blackburn chief executive John Williams said: "We have sorted out the deal with Galatasaray and the player but everything at the moment is subject to him being granted a work permit. He is an established international but he has been injured and that makes working out his percentage of performances a little difficult. Red tape can always threaten a deal but we are meeting with officials next week and we hope to have it all sorted out then."

Friends reunited
Hakan, 28, will join Turkish international team-mate and former Galatasaray player Tugay Kerimoglu at Ewood Park. Hakan played under Souness during the manager's spell in charge at the Ali Sami Yen Stadium from 1995-96.

'Ready to sign'
Hakan said: "I have accepted the offer to play for Blackburn Rovers. All personal terms have been agreed. Both Galatasaray and Blackburn have reached an agreement on my transfer. I will sign the new contract as soon as I will get a work permit for England."

New attacking dimension
Meanwhile, Souness described Yordi as an old-fashioned English centre-forward and feels he will bring a new dimension to the Blackburn attack. "We felt that we needed to strengthen in that area with a different type of player," he said. "He's mobile and he's bigger than the other two we've got up front, so he will give us something different. You will see him at some stage on Sunday."

Option to buy
Zaragoza said in a statement that Blackburn would have an option to buy the player at any time before the end of the loan period on 12 May. The 27-year-old has scored six goals in 18 Primera División games so far this season, but the arrival of Savo Milosevic from Parma AC last month has limited his chances of a first-team place.