Blackburn bombshell: Bentley's wants out to play in the Champions League

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Blackburn Rovers were rocked by a transfer demand from David Bentley yesterday and left themselves open to a further backlash from disgruntled fans by offering a job interview to failed England coach Steve McClaren.

Already reeling from the loss of manager Mark Hughes to Manchester City, Rovers fans had their worst fears confirmed when the England winger finally went public on his determination to quit Ewood Park.

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Drive: Bentley wants to realise his Champions League ambitions

Sportsmail understands Bentley could soon be reunited with Hughes after City chiefs gave the go-ahead for a £15million bid that would see off interest from Liverpool or Tottenham.

Bentley, 23, said: ‘I want to be playing Champions League football. I want to push up the ladder and be as successful as I can.

‘It’s not about money. I’ve got ambitions to play for England and in the biggest games I can. That’s what it is about and nobody can persuade me to change my mind.’

As Bentley was outlining his reasons for wanting a fresh start, McClaren was preparing to fly into the north-west from his Euro 2008 media work for a meeting with Blackburn bosses today.

Derided for peering out from beneath an umbrella as England blew their European Championship qualification hopes against Croatia, McClaren is wanted by Dutch side FC Twente.

But a return to the Barclays Premier League remains his priority and he jumped at the chance for an interview after being sounded out by Ewood officials after their failure to land Alan Shearer.

His main rivals are Sam Allardyce, Paul Ince and former Chelsea coach Henk ten Cate, who has delayed saying yes to Panathinaikos so he can speak to Rovers on Wednesday.