Victory confirm Kewell interest

Melbourne Victory say their interest in Harry Kewell is ‘very real’ as speculation continues to rage on which club the Socceroo will join.

Kewell has left Turkish powerhouse Galatasaray, with Victory said to be rivalling fellow A-League clubs Newcastle Jets and Sydney FC in their bid to bring the 32-year-old back to Australia.

While the MLS, English Premier League and clubs in the Middle East have also been touted as a potential destinations for the former Leeds United and Liverpool forward, Melbourne Victory chief executive officer Richard Wilson confirmed the club’s interest to theworldgame.com.au on Friday.

The report linked the Victory with a package involving a wage plus image rights, a percentage of profits from new memberships sold and a share of gate takings and new sponsorship deals. It is claimed the Jets deal includes a salary of up to AU$2 million a season.

“Our interest in Harry Kewell is very real and on-going,” Wilson said.

“We can’t say too much right now, other than to say we are very keen.”

“Harry’s value to the A-League and Australian football in general would be fantastic. It would be as good as anything that has ever happened in the competition and probably better.”

Wilson said ‘sometimes you are not in control of deadlines’, intimating that he was unsure of when Kewell and manager Bernie Mandic would make a decision on a new club.