• Premier League

Birmingham walk away from Keane deal

ESPN staff
January 17, 2011
Robbie Keane will remain at Tottenham for the time being after talks with Birmingham broke down © Getty Images
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Birmingham City have confirmed they have ended their interest in Robbie Keane and will seek out other striking options in January.

Keane had emerged as a key January target for Blues boss Alex McLeish and they were given permission to speak to the Republic of Ireland international after tabling a bid that matched Tottenham's valuation.

Talks took place, but Birmingham walked away from the table without a deal being agreed - citing cost as the reason why the move broke down.

Blues' acting chairman Peter Pannu held a meeting with McLeish and scout Paul Montgomery and they came to the conclusion that the deal for Keane did not make financial sense.

"I met with Alex and Paul today to discuss some new targets - names that we will not be mentioning at this moment in time - as we have decided that the signing of Keane would not be in the best financial interests of the club," Pannu told the club's official website.

"Everyone knows he is a tremendous player but having considered the overall package (one which certainly wasn't unfair on the part of his representatives to ask for given his talent and experience), Keane's age and the length of contract we felt that financially he wasn't the best option available.

"This is unfortunate because Keane is a class act but supporters can rest assured we are considering other options and will pursue them where financially viable."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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