Aston Villa are prepared to match bids from Liverpool in an attempt to beat their Premiership rivals to the signing of Preston and Ireland defender Sean St Ledger
Villa scouts have watched the Ireland international regularly while Liverpool assistant boss Sammy Lee has also been keeping a close eye on the progress of 25 year old StLedger over the past month.
St Ledger has recaptured his form and fitness after a difficult past 18 months where he saw a move to Middlesbrough collapse and tentative inquiries from Celtic come to nothing.
However, Preston are struggling to shed their debts and will be willing to listen to offers in January with an asking price of around £4million.
Villa manager Gerard Houllier knows he has an advantage over his former club Liverpool as St Ledger is a Villa fan and has partnered Richard Dunne at international level.
Houllier said: 'If we spot a good international player who can add something, we'll take him. We will have one or two coming in January.'
Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni thinks Robbie Keane's transfer-window return to Tottenham could provide a big boost to his international form.
Keane secured a 12million pound move back to White Hart Lane on Monday, just six months after joining Liverpool in an initial 19million pound switch.
The former Wolves, Coventry, Leeds and Inter Milan striker failed to settle at Anfield, mostly due to Rafa Benitez's bizarre decision-making and squad selections.
But Trapattoni is hoping the 28-year-old's return to first-team action will mean he is sharper when he joins up for international duty.
"Robbie is a player who thrives on playing regularly," Trapattoni told the Ireland website in response to questions from the country's fans.
"Going to Spurs will give him regular games. That is good for Robbie and it is good for us."
Underlining Keane's importance to the Irish cause, Trapattoni bracketed him alongside some of the finest talents he has managed during his stellar coaching career.
"In my career, I have managed players of great quality like Michel Platini and Zbigniew Boniek at Juventus, Nuno Gomes at Benfica and Ramon Diaz at Inter to name just a few.
"To win, you need great champions. Robbie is one in this category.
"He is a natural captain and of great importance to the whole squad."
Keane is in line to make his second debut when Spurs travel to North London rivals Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday.
He will then join the Ireland camp ahead of the World Cup qualifier against Georgia in Dublin on Wednesday.
Goals from Kevin Doyle and Glenn Whelan meant that Trapattoni's men returned with a 2-1 victory when the sides met in Germany in September, but the Italian is expecting to face a sterner challenge in the return fixture.
"They will be strong opposition and are not the same team we played last year in Mainz at all.
"Hector Cuper had only just taken on the job when we met last September but since then, they have improved substantially.
"I saw the match they played against Romania in November and they were a very well-organised side."
A win for Ireland would take them level on points with group leaders and world champions Italy in European qualifying group eight.
Ireland striker Robbie Keane has vowed to win over the Tottenham Hotspur fans he upset by joining Liverpool in July after completing a swift return journey to North London yesterday.
After six frustrating months at Anfield, Keane became the third former player to be brought back to White Hart Lane by Harry Redknapp in the past month, with Tottenham paying £12 million to secure the striker’s return.
The deal for Keane, which had been a subject of speculation for weeks, always seemed likely to go through in regulation time. “It was a difficult decision to leave Tottenham in the summer,” Keane said. “It proved not to be the right move for me. I know some Spurs fans will feel I let them down by leaving, but I can assure them I shall be giving my all for this club.”
Keane — who has now commanded transfer fees in the region of £75 million — is ineligible for the Carling Cup final against Manchester United at Wembley on March 1, having played in the competition for Liverpool this season.
“Keane will have a massive impact,” Redknapp, who had already secured the return of Jermain Defoe and Pascal Chimbonda, said. “He is a good player with great enthusiasm and wants to win. It rubs off on people and we need people like that. He is full of energy and has fantastic ability. We will need him.” The desire to sign Keane became more pressing because Defoe injured a foot on Friday and is to have an operation today that will keep him out for ten weeks.
Daniel Levy, the Tottenham chairman, expressed his delight that Keane had chosen to return: "We never wanted Robbie to leave in the summer, we acknowledged the six years dedicated service he gave this club and reluctantly let him go," said Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy.
"I am delighted that he has chosen to return to us."
"We can all recall the passion and fight he displayed during his previous seasons with us. I know he is determined to give us his full commitment."
Ireland international Robbie Keane can now safely assume that he will not be leaving Liverpool in January.
Two weeks ago, the Dubliner might have gone to bed at night worrying whether rumours of him becoming surplus to requirements at Anfield, just six months after his £20 million arrival from Tottenham, might actually become reality with the opening of the transfer window.
But having taken his tally to three goals in two games in the space of five days with his second-half double against Bolton, Keane not only banished any fears for his future, he also gave a glimpse as to why manager Rafael Benitez invested so much of Liverpool's money in the forward.
Keane, whose match-winning display was matched by that of the hugely impressive Xabi Alonso, did more than simply score two crisp goals to take his tally to five goals in seventeen league games. He pulled Bolton's overworked defenders all over the pitch, ran himself into the ground and, not insignificantly, he was even allowed to complete the ninety minutes, a rare privilege for the Irishman.
But, this being Liverpool, keeping everything on an even keel is the only way and Keane's performance was not afforded any special praise by assistant manager Sammy Lee, who once again took charge of the dug-out with Benitez only fit enough to watch from the directors' box following his recent kidney stones ailment.
Lee said: "It's always nice to see any Liverpool player score, never mind Robbie Keane. It's never been about individuals and Robbie has always worked very hard.
"He is a talented player and we know the quality that he provides, so we have never been worried by his performances. You would have to ask the boy himself, but I don't think that Robbie has ever been lacking in confidence. We know what he gives us."
With Fernando Torres still short of full fitness following a month-long hamstring lay-off, the prospect of Keane and Torres scoring goals together suggests that Liverpool can maintain their title push and they head for Newcastle on Sunday have retained top spot in the Premier League.
Lee added: "Being top is important, but this club prepares to be top of the league, not fifth, sixth or seventh and we are where we want to be at this moment in time."
Although Bolton began in determined mood, the defensive frailties of left-back Jlloyd Samuel opened the door for Albert Riera to score Liverpool's opener and set the home side on their way.
Samuel, who was twice easily beaten by Yossi Benayoun in the early stages, allowed Riera to escape at the near post and volley Steven Gerrard's corner past the exposed Jussi Jaaskelainen on 26 minutes and, from that moment on, Bolton never showed any signs of hauling themselves level, even when the hopeless Samuel was replaced by Kevin Davies at the interval.
Davies's introduction made no difference, however, as Liverpool merely upped the tempo and the crucial second goal came on 53 minutes when Keane beat Jaaskelainen with an unstoppable left-foot effort into the top corner after latching onto Gerrard's throughball.
From being on the verge of being written off as an expensive flop, Keane now appears to be finding form at just the right time and the Irish forward scored again five minutes later to take his league tally to five goals when he finished off a breathtaking move, started by goalkeeper Pepe Reina and moved on by Alonso and Yossi Benayoun, with a tap-in from six yards.
But despite being allowed to see out the game by Benitez and Lee, Keane could not dig out a hat-trick goal. Still, the victory was already assured and, for Bolton manager Gary Megson, the outcome of the game merely bolstered his belief that the Premier League is becoming a tale of the big four and the bottom sixteen.
