Birmingham City have ended their interest in signing Tottenham forward Robbie Keane.
Keane, who spent part of last season on loan at Celtic, has fallen down the pecking order at Spurs and boss Harry Redknapp confirmed the Republic of Ireland international would be able to leave White Hart Lane in a permanent deal.
Blues subsequently made an offer, believed to be worth £6m, that was accepted by Tottenham, but they have now decided against pushing through a deal for the 30-year-old.
Acting chairman Peter Pannu told Birmingham’s official website: “I met with Alex (McLeish) and (chief scout) Paul (Montgomery) to discuss some new targets - names that we will not be mentioning at this moment in time - as we have decided that the signing of Keane would not be in the best financial interests of the club.
“Everyone knows he is a tremendous player but having considered the overall package (one which certainly wasn't unfair on the part of his representatives to ask for given his talent and experience), Keane's age and the length of contract we felt that financially he wasn't the best option available.
“This is unfortunate because Keane is a class act but supporters can rest assured we are considering other options and will pursue them where financially viable.”