Owner Tony Sage says the Perth Glory is openly in the hunt for Aussie star Harry Kewell. Photo: Getty Images
Perth Glory officials will meet with Harry Kewell on Thursday and the club's owner Tony Sage is making no secret of his interest in signing the currently team-less Australian soccer star.
Mining magnate Sage told Radio 6PR this morning that he had met Kewell "by chance" on Tuesday and that meeting will now give way to more official talks with the club's chief executive Paul Kelly and coach Ian Ferguson on Thursday.
Kewell, 34, is best known for his European exploits with Leeds United and Liverpool but his high-profile move to the A-League's Melbourne Victory last summer did not work out particularly well for him or the club.
"He told me wants to play for Australia again and the only way to do that is to start playing," Sage said.
"He said the family issue he had last year [which resulted in his Victory exit] had been worked out.
Sage said "money would not be an issue", noting that he had explained to Kewell that he lost money owning the Glory and that the left-winger had responded by saying he had made "lots of money" playing the game and would not expect an exorbitant salary.
One "minor impediment" - as Sage put it - to any Kewell signing would be the fact the Glory already has a full roster.
But Sage expects a hand from A-League bosses to get around that potential fly in the ointment.
"I would hope the FFA [Football Federation Australia] might be able to do something, given what they've done with Alessandro del Piero [Sydney] and Emile Heskey [Newcastle]," Sage said.
Kewell returned to Australia last month to honour a sponsorship with a clothing label during racing's spring carnival.
Sage said Kewell would be in Perth later this week to play in a golf event.
The Glory, which lost last year's A-League grand final to Brisbane in controversial fashion, sits third on the ladder this season after five games.
What the potential arrival of a marquee attraction like Kewell would mean to the crowd situation at Glory games at nib Stadium is unclear.
Capacity at the ground has been halved to 9500 while redevelopment works take place and an unhappy Sage has contemplated moving several high-profile fixtures to Patersons Stadium. The Subiaco football ground played host to the season opener against Brisbane.
While a Kewell deal is possible, Sage laughed at suggestions he had met with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich during the Russian billionaire's recent fly-in, fly-out visit to Perth.
Sage said he and Abramovich had once been good friends but had not spoken since an iron ore deal in WA's Pilbara had "note ended well"
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