Christian Vieri has joined Blackburn Rovers on this week's preseason camp in Austria.

The Lancashire Telegraph says sources close to both Rovers and the player had last week suggested that Vieri had not been invited to Austria for a trial, but Allardyce has since taken up the option to assess the fitness of the former Milan, Inter, Juventus and Atletico Madrid hit man during the next few days.

Vieri is without a club after being released by Atalanta and, although he has never played in the Premier League, speaks fluent English after spending much of his childhood in Australia.

But Rovers still need to be convinced that the experienced former Italian international, whose status is likely to command a sizeable wage, remains capable of making an impact at the highest level.