Aston Villa are expected to complete the £6 million signing of Republic of Ireland striker Robbie Keane from neighbours Wolves after capturing Coventry midfielder George Boateng and Israeli international Naguan Garayeb yesterday. Villa leave for a pre-season tournament in New York today but should wrap up their move for 19-year-old Keane by next week.

His arrival at Villa Park will complete a busy few days for boss John Gregory following the £4.5 million transfer of Dutch Under-21 international Boateng and the £1 million deal for left-back Garayeb.

Gregory has also offloaded controversial striker Stan Collymore to Fulham for a three-month loan spell while defender Riccardo Scimeca is set to join Nottingham Forest for £3 million.

Boateng, like Garayeb, has signed a four-year contract at Villa and Gregory expects big things from the Dutchman. "I was attracted to his ability as an industrious midfield player," he said. "He is a young man of 23 and he played very well against us at Villa Park when he scored two goals. After Villa's title challenge fell away so badly last season, Gregory hopes his radical summer surgery on the squad will bring more consistency.

"I am hoping that we can be more consistent than last season when we fell away badly in January after heading the table earlier in the season," he added.

Boateng hopes the move can help him make the step up to full international honours with Holland, although he claimed he had never asked to quit Highfield Road. "It was not a case of me wanting to leave Coventry but I've been sold," he said.

"It's a great opportunity to join Villa and I think it will be a very good investment both for the club and myself."

Gregory looks upon the signing of Garayeb as adding competition to his defence. The Villa boss declared himself delighted after stealing in to sign the player who failed a medical at Tottenham earlier this month.

Spurs claimed the player had a knee problem.

"We wanted to sign Garayeb in April but his advisers wanted him to join Tottenham Hotspur. But we were alerted that he was having a few problems with a medical and we stepped back into the deal," Gregory said.

"We have ourselves done all the medical tests possible and we don't foresee any problems. He hasn't missed a game for three seasons and that is always a good barometer to a player's fitness."