Aston Villa may have to wait until the end of the week to tie up any deal for Wolves and Republic of Ireland striker Robbie Keane. Manager John Gregory and Villa financial director Mark Ansell are prepared to delay flying out to the United States for a tournament Villa are participating in until the proposed £6 million transfer goes through.
"An offer has been made to Wolves, a cash offer, and over the next few days we hope to get the situation sorted out," Ansell said.
Villa finally landed Najuan Garayeb in a £1 million deal yesterday and are now increasing their efforts to sign Keane and George Boateng.
While Villa were looking to have Keane in their squad next year, Stan Collymore was told in no uncertain terms that his career will be over if he fails to earn a transfer to Fulham during a three-month loan at Craven Cottage which began yesterday.
Gregory has made it clear he would not play Collymore if he returns and ushered him off not so much with a wave as a rocket.
"Collymore has got to succeed at Fulham because he has nowhere else to run," Gregory said.
"This could be the last opportunity for him and I have told him that. I would not think there was a chance of my taking him back and letting him play for Villa again.
"I suppose in a way he cannot lose because if he falls flat on his face he can come back here knowing he still has 21 months left on his contract."
That contract is worth £20,000 a week and Gregory is desperate to offload the club's record signing, whose seven Premiership goals have cost £1 million each since he joined from Liverpool two seasons ago. "He had plenty of opportunity here," Gregory said. "I'm the third or fourth manager he's had in the last four years and we've all ended up pulling our hair out. He returned for pre-season training with the promises I had heard before.
"I've tried everything to get the best out of him. Sometimes it was a cuddle and I even publicly criticised him hoping he would ram the words down my throat. I have done lots of things to try to make it work but nothing did."
Paul Bracewell immediately discovered that a tired jaw is part of the Collymore experience. But despite that glowing reference from Gregory, Kevin Keegan's successor at Fulham insisted he had made a "fantastic signing".
"He's a quality player, an international player," he said after watching the 28-year-old train for the first time. "He's had his problems but by coming here he's shown he wants to come to a First Division club with ambition. He needs to get his career back on track and I'm sure we can help him do that.
"I had a long chat with Stan, cards on the table," said Bracewell, who warned Collymore he is by no means guaranteed a first-team place. "I don't see him as different from anyone else but, if he needs help, we've got the backing to give him as much as possible."
