Cardiff look set to win the race for Richard Keogh

Cardiff City look to be winning the race to sign Coventry’s Richard Keogh, despite competition for the defender from Championship rivals.

The Bluebirds have tabled a £750,000 bid for the 25-year-old who has one year left on his contract with the Sky Blues and looks increasingly unlikely to sign an extension this summer.

But the Bluebirds will have to see off other interest if boss Malky Mackay is to make Keogh his third signing of the summer after goalkeeper Joe Lewis and midfielder Jordon Mutch arrived in the welsh capital.

Keogh’s former club Bristol City have already seen a £250,000 bid turned down and the Robins are mulling over whether to up their bid.

But now Leeds manager Neil Warnock is reportedly lining up a ‘substantial’ bid with a view to taking Keogh to Elland Road.

Leeds are currently the subject of a takeover with Warnock set to receive a cash injection from the Middle East.

Keogh’s future might well be decided by the beginning of the week with Mackay and Cardiff firmly in the driving seat at this moment in time.

Coventry’s attempts to keep Keogh at the Ricoh Arena look doomed to failure despite announcing the defender would be Sky Blues captain next season as they look to be promoted from League One to the Championship following relegation last term.

Coventry officials have been in talks with Keogh’s agent for over a month with no headway made and the Midlands club may be forced to cash in on one of their top players rather than see him walk away for nothing next summer.

Reports suggest the Sky Blues would be looking for a round £1m for the player with the vast majority of that paid up front.

Chief executive Tim Fisher said: “He’s a good player and there will be intense pressure from outside to extract him.

“There is always a figure X but it would have to be a big figure; I think the value of Richard staying would far outweigh a little bit of cash with money on appearances.”

Coventry are desperate to hang on to Keogh, who was named Fans’ Player of the Year and his fellow Players’ Player of the Year at the club in April.

But Keogh, a former Republic of Ireland under-21 captain, is said to want to remain in the Championship this season.

Keogh is ostensibly seen as a right-sided centre-half, but following his transfer to Coventry from Carlisle in 2010 he made the switch to right back where he has plenty of pace and the ability to deliver quality ball in to the box.

But centre-half does remain Keogh’s preferred position.

The Bluebirds currently have one of the most solid centre-half partnerships in the Championship in the shape of skipper Mark Hudson and Ben Turner.

And with Kevin McNaughton and Wales international Darcy Blake both able to step into the breach it would seem a department well served in the current Bluebirds’ squad.

But it looks likely this summer Mackay will loose two centre-halves.

Israeli international Dekel Keinan, who has not been anywhere near Mackay’s thinking since the new boss arrived last summer, is sure to move on if he gets the chance of more regular football elsewhere.

Anthony Gerrard seems likely to follow after falling out of favour in major fashion during Mackay’s first season in charge of the Bluebirds.

Last season Gerrard made 25 appearances, but did not play at all after the Bluebirds Carling Cup final defeat at the hands of Liverpool at Wembley in February.

It was Gerrard’s missed spot-kick during a tense penalty shoot-out which ultimately handed the trophy to the Merseysiders.

Bristol City are said to be interested in making a bid for Gerrard if their attempts to land Keogh are inevitably thwarted. Robins’ boss Derek McInnes has Gerard at the top of his list of alternative centre-halves this summer.

But Blackburn are also monitoring the Gerrard situation.

Relegated from the premier League last season, manager Steve JKean has resigned himself to losing centre-half Scott Dann and sees Gerrard as a likely replacement.

The Lancashire club have not made a formal approach yet and it remains unclear what price-tag the Bluebirds might have placed on Gerrard.

Cardiff manager Mackay is currently away on holiday, but is still working on brokering deals with Keogh seeming to be moving to a conclusion either way in particular.

The Bluebirds squad officially returns for pre-season training on July 11 before heading to a training camp in Switzerland.

Mackay is keen to get as many new faces as he can into his squad before the squad departs.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/footballna ... -31326068/

How many times can Icwales run a keogh story

Anybody else think that the figure of £750,000 given by Walesonline is accurate and if so, was the figure released by Cardiff, Coventry, the player's agent or another source?

My money is on Coventry!

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/footballnation/cardiff-city/cardiff-city-fc/2012/07/05/cardiff-city-set-to-win-race-to-sign-coventry-city-star-richard-keogh-91466-31326068/

christ you're always in there 1st with the links to WalesOnline stories bet you're sitting on your laptop refreshing their website waiting for something new to post on here haha!

How many times can Icwales run a keogh story

Lots of more opportunities before the deal is sealed yet Butty!

Really hope its true. Be happy with this signing. Been going on for a while and just be happy to get this out of the way so we can maybe focus on the midfield and strikers.

How many times can Icwales run a keogh story

Lots of more opportunities before the deal is sealed yet Butty!

Or if it isn't?
Or when it is?
Or if it's in the balance
Zzzz icwales

I still don't know why we are signing a center back and at that price he aint going to be sitting on the bench.

It's interesting that Mediawales are saying if the wurzels miss out on Keogh, which let's face it with Ipswich,Leeds and Cardiff amongst the front runners for his signature they will, is Gerrard really at the top of Derek McInnes shopping list.

Well not according to the Swansea Evening Post Garry Monk is a target.

http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/Brist ... story.html

So which one is really the wurzels top target.

Don't you just love the papers during the transfer windows.

Loose instead of lose two centre halves?

What sort of journalism is this?

Loose instead of lose two centre halves?

What sort of journalism is this?

It probably stems from reading this board too much.