Keegan set to miss out on van Buyten
Manchester City manager Kevin Keegan is on the brink of missing out on his number one summer transfer target.
Keegan has claimed that if he could sign any player in the world this summer it would be Daniel van Buyten, who impressed during six games in City colours until his loan move from Marseille was ended prematurely when he picked up a knee injury.
However, the cash-strapped Blues boss knew his chances of signing the highly-rated Belgian international on a permanent basis would be severely hampered by his lack of transfer funds and, as he feared, van Buyten is now set to move elsewhere.
FC Hamburg coach Klaus Toppmoller has confirmed talks with van Buyten are at an advanced stage and representatives from the Bundesliga outfit are due to talk with their Marseille counterparts tomorrow to finalise the deal.
“Daniel is an absolute top star and he speaks German,” Toppmoller told www.skysports.com.
“I could imagine that he could become our new captain.”
While the loss of van Buyten will be a blow to Keegan, he can at least look forward to having a fully fit Paulo Wanchope available when the new season starts in August.
The Costa Rican striker has been plagued by knee problems over the last three seasons but a third operation appears to have had a positive effect and Wanchope was a permanent fixture in the City squad for the final two months of the campaign.
And, such is the 27-year-old’s desire to be fit and ready for the new campaign that he has told Costa Rican officials that he does not want to be considered for vital World Cup qualifiers next month, plus the prestigious Copa America competition in July.
“With the medical staff at City, I have decided that it is better for everyone if I rest this summer,” he told www.mcfc.co.uk
“In the long term it will benefit both Manchester City and Costa Rica.”
