Real president plays down Keane link

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has tonight insisted that the club have not discussed the possibility of signing Roy Keane and will leave any transfer talks until the winter break.

Real have been closely linked with a move for the former Manchester United captain and it had looked as though a deal could be finalised some time this week.

“Nobody has spoken about it yet [signing Keane] and we won’t speak about it until these next two games are over,” Perez said on a broadcast on Realmadrid television and local channel Telemadrid.

“The press are in their right to speak about it but if we signed all the players they talk about we would have 60 players in the squad.

“We are not studying the possibility, nobody is studying it. There is no chance until the 21st [of December], but we will talk about players.”

Real host Osasuna this weekend before playing Racing Santander at the Bernabeu the following Wednesday.

Perez also rejected suggestions that the board had spoken with midfielder David Beckham about his former Manchester United team-mate.

“Nobody has talked with Beckham or about Roy Keane, nobody has spoken about it,” Perez reiterated.

“Our website in the summer made imaginary line-ups of players who have been linked with us, I suppose Keane would be in that,” he added.

“If we have any needs we will study them after the 21st.”

Should Real sign Keane then it has been suggested that Danish midfielder Thomas Gravesen, who plays a similar role to the Irishman, would be surplus to requirements at the Bernabeu.

However, Perez insists that whatever happens the Dane would be remaining at the club.

“He is not going to go. We don’t have a big enough squad to allow him to leave.”