Are Madrid really Keane about Roy?

Spanish media reported on Monday that Keane was on the verge of joining Real on a six-month contract and a salary of 120,000 euros a week. The argument goes that the Irishman, who would be reunited with former club colleague David Beckham, would provide a new edge to the Real midfield and revitalise the team in the same way that Dutchman Edgar Davids did at Barcelona two seasons ago.

If the deal does materialise, however, it would be one of European football’s most bizarre transfers.

The battle-weary 34-year-old is a shadow of the uncompromising player who inspired United to seven league titles after joining Nottingham Forest in 1993.

He has not played a competitive game since breaking a bone in his foot against Liverpool in September and is hardly likely to walk straight into the Real Madrid starting lineup after over three months on the sidelines.

His signing would dramatically raise the average age of a Real midfield that already includes 30-year-old Beckham and 33-year-old Zinedine Zidane.

Real are not even short of central midfielders at the moment, with new signing Pablo Garcia, Thomas Gravesen, Guti and the versatile Sergio Ramos competing for places in the starting line-up.

The 19-year-old Ramos did a superb job in central midfield in Real’s 2-0 victory over Malaga on Sunday, while Guti, who has never been given a sustained run in the first team, is also in fine form.

It also seems unlikely that caretaker coach Juan Ramon Lopez Caro, who is anxious to win over the Spanish players in the dressing room, would want to throw a controversial character like Keane into the mix. In any case it would be impossible for Keane to fill the role of inspirational captain as he did at United.

Although he has won a hatful of league titles and FA Cups with United, his list of trophies would count for little in a dressing room that measures success in terms of Champions Leagues and World Cups.

Given the characteristics of his game, Keane would find it difficult to adapt to the lower levels of contact in Spanish football and the different criteria for making refereeing decisions.

Keane would not even be able to play in Europe after appearing for United in a Champions League qualifier against Debrecen in August.

Real fans are crying out for the club to recruit a new striker to replace injured captain Raul and provide cover for the under-performing Ronaldo.

The recruitment of a midfielder who is clearly past his best is unlikely to meet with their approval.