Ronaldinho set for Brazil return

Ronaldinho appears to have rejected a move to Blackburn Rovers and remains on course to rejoin Brazilian club Gremio.

The former Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona forward is due to bring an end to his three-year spell with Serie A side AC Milan following the arrival of Antonio Cassano from Sampdoria.

Ronaldinho has been widely expected to return to Gremio, the club where he began his professional career in 1998.

English Premier League club Blackburn emerged as an unlikely bidder this week, but any hopes they had of securing the former world player of the year appear to be receding fast following comments by Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri on Wednesday.

"We are all sorry to lose a player of the quality of Ronaldinho," Allegri said.

"But he has made a life choice by going to Brazil."

The 30-year-old 2002 World Cup winner is expected to sign a three-and-a-half-year deal with Gremio, who finished fourth in last season's Brazilian championship.

Blackburn confirm Ronaldinho offer

Blackburn Rovers have confirmed a sensational bid for Ronaldinho, just one day after denying any such interest in the AC Milan star.

Rovers have tabled a 20-million-pound offer to lure the Brazilian playmaker to Ewood Park for the next three years.

The bid was first reported by Sky Sports News on Tuesday, and Blackburn's owners Venky's have confirmed an approach to Ronaldinho to the BBC.

"He is keen to play in the English Premier League and I think that goes in our favour," Venky's chairwoman Anuradha Desai told BBC Radio Lancashire on Tuesday.

"To be precise (it is) 7.6 million euros (6.5 million pounds) for the first year and about 8.5 million euros (7.2 million pounds) for the second and third years."

Ronaldinho is all but certain to depart the San Siro this month after leaving Milan's training camp in Dubai to negotiate a new deal elsewhere.

Brazilian side Gremio are favourites to land their former youth player, who went on to play with Paris Saint-Germain and Spanish giants Barcelona before moving to Italy in 2008.

But Venky's are keen to make an immediate impression on the club they purchased in November, and have offered manager Steve Kean a sizeable transfer kitty to boost Blackburn's stocks.

"Money is not the criteria at all though, we do not mind about the money," Venky's chairman Venkatesh Rao told the Lancashire Telegraph on Monday.

"It is about getting the right players for Blackburn Rovers and we have enough money to do that."

"That is not a problem. We want to bring quality to Blackburn Rovers."

RONALDO DE ASSÍS, 'RONALDINHO'

The Brazilian striker was born at Porto Alegre (Brazil) in 1980. In his five seasons at the club he became one its greatest ever footballers and made a decisive contribution to winning two League titles and the Champions League.

-Seasons at the club: 2003-2008
-Games: 250
-Goals: 110
-Titles:
2 Leagues (2004/05, 2005/06)
1 Champions League (2005/06)
2 Spanish Super Cups (2005/06, 2006/07)
3 Catalonia Cups (2003/04, 2004/05, 2006/07)

Ronaldinho came to Barcelona in the summer of 2003 to head the new club project which began with Frank Rijkaard as manager. The man who was to wear the number 10 shirt for Barça for five seasons immediately thrilled fans with his imaginative play which led to moves that very few footballers could aspire to.

During his time at Barça he scored 94 goals in competitive matches even though he also stood out as a passer of the ball. With him leading the team on the pitch, Barça experienced some of the best times in its history, winning two back-to-back League titles and above all the Champions League in an unforgettable final on 17 May 2006 in Paris. Also memorable was the standing ovation he received at Santiago Bernabéu after scoring two magnificent goals in the 3-0 win against Real Madrid on 19 November 2005.

While at Barça he also won top international awards such as the FIFA World Player (2004 and 2005) and the Golden Ball (2005).