West Ham lead chase for Spurs' Robbie Keane with 3-year deal offer

Tuesday, 21 December 2010

Robbie Keane

West Ham will try and lure Irish skipper Robbie Keane to Upton Park by offering him the option of a three-year contract at the end of a six-month loan deal if he helps them avoid relegation.

The Dubliner is surplus to requirements at White Hart Lane, with Spurs manager Harry Redknapp desperate to move him on so he can make room in his squad. Aston Villa and Birmingham City -- who have both wanted to sign Keane in the past -- have been linked with new bids, as have Wolverhampton Wanderers and Everton, while there have been suggestions that the 30-year-old could be used in a makeweight to lure Newcastle United into selling Andy Carroll.

West Ham have been offered the Tallaght native before and will resist Spurs' attempts to use the negotiations as a way of obtaining midfielder Scott Parker.

Spurs are also hoping to move on Jamie O'Hara, the midfielder who is mulling over the prospect of joining Keane in the Irish international set-up.

He is also interesting West Ham, who would have made a move for the former Portsmouth loanee in the summer had he not been injured.

Given that O'Hara is still to recover from his back injury, it may well be that West Ham turn to another of their targets to try and beef up their midfield, with a deal for Aston Villa's Steve Sidwell understood to be under negotiation. That could lead to the departure of Valon Behrami, who is anxious to return to Italy with his wife having failed to settle in London.

Despite the possibility of one -- or both -- of Keane and O'Hara joining West Ham, the Premier League's bottom club remain adamant that they will not be selling Parker, who signed a new long-term deal earlier this season.

Keane returned to Spurs at the start of last year, from Liverpool, signing a four-year deal for a £12m fee but fell out of favour and is no longer in Redknapp's plans.

After sluggish performances for Ireland in October's Euro 2012 qualifiers, he is conscious that he needs regular first-team football.

An inquiry has been made about Emmanuel Adebayor with West Ham understood to be prepared to pay up to £100,000 of his £180,000-a-week salary if Manchester City pick up the short-fall as part of a loan deal.

West Ham are concerned over whether Keane is worth £65,000 a week. However, with relegation becoming ever more likely it may be a price they are willing to pay.