Hoddle keeping his wish list under wraps
Spurs director of football David Pleat yesterday disclosed the club were monitoring the Leeds and Ireland forward.
And boss Hoddle cemented the view that the Londoners are about to make a swoop by admitting the existence of his transfer shortlist.
"We have a list but that list is mine and will remain private. We know who we're looking at and who we want to bring in," he said.
Keane, a hit for Mick McCarthy's Ireland at the World Cup, snubbed a move to Sunderland earlier this summer after United chairman Peter Ridsdale had agreed a £8m fee for the 22-year-old.
But Keane knows the White Hart Lane outfit are a bigger club than the Wearsiders and is likely to give consideration to a switch south.
Hoddle knows Keane's availability is the key to his chances of success when making an approach to Leeds manager Terry Venables, the man who preceded him as England coach in 1996.
Keane was earmarked as a disposable asset when Peter Reid enquired about him with United deciding they had enough attackers with Robbie Fowler, Mark Viduka, Alan Smith and Michael Bridges. But new boss Venables may want Keane to stay at Elland Road as part of his first-choice strike force.
The £30m British-record transfer of Rio Ferdinand to Manchester United has alleviated the need for an urgent cash injection into Leeds' battered finances. And the Yorkshire club yesterday confirmed no bid has been received from Spurs.
"It is difficult,'' Hoddle said. ''It depends on the players' availability so we'll have to wait and see where it goes."
However, Keane is no stranger to new challenges, having already played for four clubs in a hectic three years.
The Wolves trainee joined West Midlands rivals Coventry for £6m in 1999 but was on his way to Inter Milan in a £13m deal less than 12 months later. That move turned sour, sparking a loan to Leeds before they snapped him up for £12m in April 2001.
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