Gabriel Batistuta, Argentina's great goalscorer, has admitted he fancies playing in the English Premiership - even after rejecting "a few offers" to come to England earlier this season.
The 29-year-old striker, who has scored over 100 goals for Fiorentina in four Serie A campaigns in Italy, said: "When it is time for me to look for a new challenge I would certainly consider playing in England.
"There are already so many excellent players there making it a very exciting competition but wherever I go I want to join a team that will be involved in challenging for a title."
The Premiership's big three, Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool, are all believed to have inquired what it would take for Fiorentina to release Batistuta who scored his 37th international goal for Argentina in his 55th international against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin on Wednesday night.
Asked who had made the offers to him, he teased: "I can't remember really. In any case I was happy playing for Fiorentina and I still am."
The fact that he is contracted to his Italian club until the end of 1999 is probably one of the answers to stop a move. Also his age and the likelihood of a £12 million fee being placed on his head.
Batistuta will not consider any move until after he has spearheaded Argentina's bid for a third World Cup title in France this summer.
He said: "My big ambition is to be the top scorer there. I had the same hope in the United States four years ago but we went out of the tournament too early.
"Now I think we have a better chance this time. We will start with Japan and Jamaica in our group and once those are out of the way I think we will become one of the main forces."
They even have a "new Maradona" in 24-year-old Ariel Ortega who ran the Lansdowne Road show in the first half and scored a breath-taking second goal.
He even wears the same number 10 as Maradona, but unlike Diego who, at the age of 17 first revealed his wonderful range of talent in a 1-0 win in Dublin 18 years ago, Ortega says all the right things.
Named Man of the Match against Ireland, the Valencia star said: "It is a great honour of course but the main thing was that the team played so well."
Meanwhile, Jean-Pierre Papin has confirmed that he is ready to join Fulham. The former French international striker is being chased by the London club, whose chief operating officer Kevin Keegan has already approached the player's representatives about a move to Craven Cottage.
The 34-year-old, currently unsettled at Bordeaux, is likely to join Fulham if they win promotion to the First Division by way of the play-offs. "I find it very flattering that Fulham are interested in me," he said.
Meanwhile, Brendon Batson last night warned that lessons must be learned from the incident in which Paul Ince was punched by a fan after England's win against Portugal.
The Liverpool midfielder was struck as he signed autographs outside Wembley after the game and a 33-year-old man has since been arrested.
Batson, deputy chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association, said: "Obviously the situation is being reviewed by the FA and those who provide security for the players. Paul Ince played his part in the victory last night and you would have thought he would be getting a pat on the back and not a smack in the mouth. It is extremely disappointing.
But Batson insists fans must not be denied the chance to collect autographs and mingle with their footballing heroes.
