Fulham boss Mark Hughes admits he is keen on landing Tottenham Hotspur striker Robbie Keane.
The Irishman is expected to leave White Hart Lane during the January transfer window after slipping down the pecking order under Harry Redknapp.
Birmingham thought they had put a deal in place early in the New Year window, with a £7million move believed to be in the pipeline.
However, no agreement has been put in place and Keane remains up for grabs.
That has opened the door for other interested parties, and Hughes has revealed that he would be willing to take the 30-year-old should finances at Craven Cottage allow.
“A lot of players are being mentioned, and a lot of them are good players, players I admire,” said the Cottagers coach.
“But sometimes the deal to bring certain players in can be a little prohibitive, certainly for a club like ours.
“Although at times [recently] and in the past there has been a will to bring players here, on occasion we haven’t been able to do it due to the finances involved.
“Would Robbie being keen to stay in London help Fulham? Well that gives us a competitive advantage, I would suggest.
“Fulham is in a nice part of the world. That helps in acquisitions. There are clubs where it is more difficult to attract players to the area, but we don’t have that problem when we are based in London.”
