Shane Long is a target for Leicester

02 August 2011 11:28
Leicester manager Sven Goran Eriksson has joined West Ham in the race to sign Shane Long after he admitted it would be a 'dream' to sign the Reading striker.[LNB]Eriksson expects the 24-year-old to be snapped up by a Barclays Premier League side after he scored 23 goals in the Championship last season but is still hoping he can convince him to move to the King Power Stadium. The former England manager will also no doubt have been encouraged by the Republic of Ireland international's comments of last week when he said he would consider a move to West Ham.[LNB] In demand: Shane Long is attracting lots of interest after his 23 goals last season[LNB] [LNB]The Hammers, who were relegated from the top-flight last season, had a ?6million bid for Long rejected by the Royals last week but the Londoners have yet to come back with an improved offer. That has given Eriksson hope he may be able to land Long as he is desperate for a proven goal-scorer. The Tipperary native has just one year remaining his contract and is valued by Reading at ?8m.Long would become Leicester's record signing if they were successful in bringing him to the King Power Stadium as it would eclipse the ?5.5m they paid Reading for defender Matt Mills last month.[LNB] Top target: Sven Goran Eriksson says it would be a 'dream' to sign the Irishman[LNB] The former England manager, otherwise, has warned that unless the Foxes sign a 'big name' they can forget about promotion to the Premier League this season. When asked about the possibility of signing Long, Eriksson confirmed: 'To be honest, he is one on the list, but he may end up in the Premier League this season, so it will be difficult, but he is one we have worked with. 'We are working on taking in one or two more and if we are going to do that it is going to be a big name, important players otherwise we are not going to do anything. We are working on it and it would be a dream to take in someone who can score over 20 goals.'[LNB] Hammer time! Reading striker Long tells West Ham to come and get him Liverpool take a Long look at Reading striker Shane's game[LNB] [LNB]

Source: Daily_Mail