Birmingham keen on Keane, but slow going

Birmingham City first-team coach Peter Grant believes a deal for Tottenham forward Robbie Keane remains some way off.

Keane, 30, is rumoured to be on the verge of a move to St Andrews for a reported fee of seven million pounds.

But Grant has played down the speculation, stating that while Birmingham boss Alex McLeish was indeed interested, any potential transfer was only at the enquiry stage.

“The quality of the player does not come into question but I think there are a lot of bridges to be crossed yet,” Grant said.

“It is a million miles short of what was supposedly breaking last night (Wednesday). There is no such thing as a medical having been put in place.”

“Alex has inquired about Robbie many times, even when I came here in the summer. When you see top-quality players not in the side and you want to add quality to your own squad, Robbie definitely comes into that category.”

“Alex has inquired about him, that is open knowledge, as he has done so about a lot of players.”

Grant also flagged concerned about Keane’s willingness to relocate and the impact his arrival would have on the Birmingham squad.

“The manager would love a talent like Robbie Keane to come to Birmingham but there are a lot of clubs looking at him,” he said.

“Then the player, where does he live? I know what he was like in Glasgow when he liked to be back in London with his family. You have to manage all that and I think Alex has built … a squad here who are very close knit.”

“Our gaffer has got to think about his squad, how that would react to his squad. There are a lot of things that come into play. But the quality of the player does not come into question.”