Steve Kean has been impressed with the frontman’s efforts towards the end of the season and now would like to give him a chance to make an impact on the Premier League next season.
Kean also wants to keep loan players Roque Santa Cruz, Mame Biram Diouf and Jermaine Jones at Ewood Park and will be in contract with the player’s parent clubs very shortly.
Although Kean is said to be in the market for a couple of strikers and a midfielder, he is also wants to keep Benjani although he failed to play the number of games needed to trigger a second year.
Kean said: “We are hopeful that we can put something together for Benjani.
“It will probably come on the FA website that he is a free transfer but we want him here. We haven’t gone into detail with Benji but I said to him I would like to put something towards him and that will hopefully be done in the next couple of days.
“He has done really well for us. The type of lad he is, he is happy to have a role as an impact player as a substitute or if he is in good form and has a run in the team, then I think he has shown he is a guy defenders don’t want to play against.
"He certainly had a strong end to the season.”