Robbie Fowler has given the first indication he is ready to leave Leeds United for Manchester City, an apparent change of mind that is likely to precipitate a £7 million bid next week but could wreck Kevin Keegan's hopes of signing Michael Reiziger from Barcelona.
While Fowler has reluctantly admitted that he has little future at Elland Road and transfer negotiations will begin in earnest after Leeds's trip to Maine Road this afternoon, Reiziger is unhappy that City are willing to sign him only on a loan deal until the end of the season rather than a permanent £4 million deal.
The Dutch international defender has spent the last two days in Manchester but, to Keegan's dismay, has asked for more time to make his decision and is scheduled to fly back to Spain this morning.
"I think he was hoping for a permanent deal, but I've had to be honest with him and say that my finances are tied elsewhere," said Keegan. "We're already down the road with another (transfer) situation and that means we can offer Michael only a loan deal.
"If he goes back to Spain without giving his answer, it will be worrying. I'd like to think he has been impressed by what he has seen - the training facilities, the new stadium and so on - but we're still waiting for him to make his mind up and there's not much more we can do."
Keegan's interest in Fowler has never cooled, but he had been discouraged by the player's representatives and so sounded out Celta Vigo about Benni McCarthy and spoke to Miroslav Klose's advisers about a £5 million move from Kaiserslautern.
At that stage Fowler had stated he did not want to leave Leeds, but that is clearly no longer the case and Keegan is so determined to sign him that he is willing to spend all the money he has available before the transfer window closes. As well as jeopardising the Reiziger deal, that could also have a serious impact on City's interest in Bordeaux's £5 million-rated defender David Sommeil.
If Fowler goes it will be the fifth high-profile player to leave Leeds since Terry Venables took over, following Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Keane, Lee Bowyer and Olivier Dacourt.
Middlesbrough are hoping to prise Seth Johnson away, while the goalkeeper Nigel Martyn is looking for a new club, having lost his place this season to Paul Robinson.
Aston Villa's chairman Doug Ellis has rejected a £2 million offer from Blackburn Rovers for Alpay, and is holding out for the £5.6 million Villa paid Fenerbahce for the defender two and half years ago. Mart Poom has signed a three-year deal at Sunderland. Kleber Chala has been released by Southampton.
