Robbie Keane has made it no secret that he’d love to return to the Premier League for Aston Villa this summer and now the club themselves have confirmed their interest.
The Irish captain, who spent the last six weeks on loan at the club, surpassed most expectations during his January loan move to Aston Villa from the LA Galaxy, hitting the net on three occasions from five Premier League starts. The Tallaght man has since been speaking not so cryptically over the possibility of a return this summer either.
“When I go back to LA it could be completely different, but people have seen over the years with the clubs I’ve been at how quickly I leave if I don’t fit in,” said Keane last week.
“There’s been talk about me staying on at Villa but, at the end of the day, Galaxy are my parent club and, first and foremost, I have to respect them.”
However, yesterday Villa boss Alex McLeish confirmed that he hopes to sign the striker permanently or on loan this summer, having described the player as a “breath of fresh air”.
“We just need to wait and see what happens between now and then,” McLeish told reporters. “Robbie’s been a breath of fresh air. He’s a good leader, he’s a talker, and he’s a very good footballer.
“It’s been great to have him around, and hopefully, some of his influences have rubbed off on some of the younger players. Maybe we’ve forged a relationship now, and hopefully Robbie thinks of us first if he’s going to do this again next season.”
