Newcastle Have Eye on Dunne Deal

Kevin Keegan is hoping to reinforce Newcastle United's defence by recruiting Richard Dunne from Manchester City this summer. Keegan knows Dunne well from his days as City's manager and believes the center-half is the man he needs to galvanize Newcastle's sometimes suspect back line. While Sven-Goran Eriksson hopes to keep the 28-year-old Republic of Ireland international, Dunne has merely 13 months of his contract remaining and has declined to sign an extension.

With City reluctant to lose Dunne on a Bosman next year and the defender apparently attracted to the prospect of doubling his salary, currently believed to be around £28,000 a week, at St James' Park, a switch could prove feasible. Although Keegan has the final say on all transfers at Newcastle he is not directly involved in their negotiation and has asked Dennis Wise, the club's executive director (football) and Tony Jimenez, Newcastle's head of recruitment, to try and make the proposed Dunne deal happen.

Dunne was not always at his best during Keegan's time in charge at City but, partly encouraged by advice he received from Newcastle's current manager, he has since matured and modified his lifestyle, thereby making him one of the Premier League's most consistently dependable center-halves.