Soccer: LA Galaxy will support a loan move for Robbie Keane to Aston Villa if the Republic of Ireland captain agrees terms with the Premier League club. Keane is believed to be open to the prospect of a brief return to the English top flight, despite previous commitments to remain in the US for pre-season.
MLS champions Galaxy are growing accustomed to loaning out their star players in the close season, with Landon Donovan recently returning to Everton on a temporary basis and David Beckham having twice spent time with AC Milan.
Tim Leiweke, president of Galaxy owners AEG, says such a move for the 31-year-old Dubliner would be welcomed by the club.
“Only if Robbie wants to do it,” said Leiweke late last night. “And for us, it's an opportunity for Robbie from a conditioning standpoint, to stay healthy and in shape.”
Keane is currently training with former club Tottenham Hotspur, where he first broached the subject of a move to LA with Beckham when the former Manchester United and Real Madrid player availed of similar hospitality in early 2011.
According to Spurs, Keane is training with them until January 20th, while Leiweke has insisted any loan deals involving Galaxy players would have to conclude in late February.
Villa will want to get the most out of Keane, finances permitting, and with that in mind may look to agree a deal before facing Everton at home on Saturday, January 14th. They will have to come to an agreement with Galaxy on how much of Keane's €43,000 per-week wages they will pay and also organise insurance for the duration of the loan spell.
If they got the Dubliner in the door by in time to face Everton, he would be available for six league games before heading back for the new MLS season beginning on March 10th. With games against QPR, Wigan and Keane’s first professional club Wolves included in that run, an extra attacking option to complement Darren Bent and Gabriel Agbonlahor could prove invaluable to a team that has scored just 22 in 20 games.
There remain, however, reports of interest from Scotland and Keane may be tempted back to Glasgow by the promise of some action in Celtic’s pursuit of the SPL title. Having gone on a 10-game winning streak since trailing Rangers by 15 points on November 5th, they are top of the table by two now and Neil Lennon will be eager to ensure the goals don’t dry up as he looks to maintain momentum in the New Year.
Keane scored 12 goals in 16 for Celtic when on loan there in 2010. Like Villa boss Alex McLeish, who lost out on signing Keane for Birmingham last January after a fee of €7.2 million had been agreed, Lennon was frustrated in his attempts to bring Keane under his watch.
The Scottish club could not have financed the permanent deal Spurs were looking for, but were always in the market for a loan agreement prior to Keane’s move to LA and that certainly looks more achievable now.
A return to Europe looks unlikely for Beckham, meanwhile, after a proposed move to Paris Saint-Germain fell through because the player’s family were keen to stay in LA.
Despite interest from elsewhere, Leiweke claims the development has increased the chances of the Englishman signing a new deal with Galaxy.
"We have been talking with David about staying with the Galaxy for three months and I said back in November, I was confident David would stay here and I still am,” he told the Los Angeles Times. “Does it look more likely that it is heading in that direction? Yes. Are we done? No."
He added: “We are committed to David and he has always felt strongly about the Galaxy in LA, and it does not surprise me that his family would prefer to stay in LA. But we’re not done yet."
