Kevin Keegan is to make a £7 million bid to take Robbie Fowler from Leeds United to Manchester City by the end of the week. If the move is successful, he will be paraded at Maine Road before Sunday's FA Cup tie against Liverpool, his old club.
City's directors are to instigate talks with Leeds when the transfer window opens tomorrow. Keegan has around £8 million available for reinforcing his squad and is willing to part with the majority of that on a player he regards as a partner-in-waiting for Nicolas Anelka in attack.
The City manager was non-committal about transfer moves yesterday but said: "We are looking at one or two areas but we just need a few things to drop into position."
Fowler is not unhappy at Leeds but, largely due to a number of injuries, he has been unable to keep a first-team place since his £11 million move from Liverpool last season.
The 27-year-old has fallen behind Harry Kewell, Alan Smith and Mark Viduka in the pecking order, while the emergence of the 16-year-old James Milner has given the Leeds manager Terry Venables other attacking options.
Whether he would be willing to leave Yorkshire remains to be seen, although moving to Maine Road would virtually guarantee him first-team football and increase the 27-year-old's chances of forcing his way back into Sven-Goran Eriksson's plans.
City, one of the few clubs with money to spend, will be bargaining from a position of strength because Leeds's dire financial position, with debts totalling £80 million, means they are vulnerable to bids for any of their players. Venables would be reluctant to see a player of Fowler's pedigree leaving Elland Road but may find his hands are tied.
Sergei Rebrov could finally leave Tottenham this week after interest from the Turkish club Fenerbahce. The Ukrainian forward has been frozen out by Glenn Hoddle and has yet to make an appearance in the Premiership this season.
Tottenham still want to bring the Real Madrid forward Fernando Morientes to White Hart Lane but need to sell before they can make a new bid. Rebrov is also attracting interest from German clubs, including Munich 1860 and Eintracht Frankfurt, but no fee has been agreed.
West Ham manager Glenn Roeder hopes to have squad reinforcements in place by the end of this week, with another Tottenham forward, Les Ferdinand, believed to be a target.
Howard Wilkinson, manager of Sunderland, is so desperate for goals that he has recalled John Oster early from his second month on loan at Grimsby to join tomorrow's squad at Old Trafford.
Guardian Service