KEEGAN GOES FOR SAVIOLA

NEWCASTLE will launch a raid for Real Madrid star Javier Saviola to give boss Kevin Keegan the boost he has been demanding.

Toon chiefs have been plotting to bring the World Cup star to St James’s Park for a week and are now ready to sign him on a season-long loan.

The Argentina playmaker, 26, is just the kind of quality signing Keegan has wanted after a summer of off-field turbulence.

Saviola is out of favour at Real, with his agent making it clear he would relish a change of scenery with an eye on a permanent move.

Newcastle’s extensive Spanish contacts under Dennis Wise and Tony Jiminez put them in pole position to pull off the kind of coup the Toon Army have longed for.

Keegan has been forced to admit his squad is desperately thin — and Saviola is one of the most extravagantly talented stars to come out of Argentina in the last 10 years.

He was even ear-marked as heir apparent to Diego Maradona’s crown as a teenager. Although he never quite lived up the hype, he is still the darling of the Argentina fans.

Saviola played just 16 games for Real last season, scoring three goals. Known as El Conejito or the Little Rabbit, he was named as one of FIFA’s 100 greatest living players in 2005.