Perrin drops Heinze hint

Lyon admit interest in United defender

By Patrick Haond   Last updated: 14th August 2007

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Heinze: Lyon option

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Lyon coach Alain Perrin has hinted at an interest in signing Manchester United defender Gabriel Heinze.

Perrin is looking to add to his back-line after losing captain Cris for six months due to a serious knee injury.

Heinze has emerged as an option for the French champions, with the Argentine facing an uncertain future at Old Trafford.

The Premier League is currently looking into his situation, with Liverpool keen to sign the player, but United unwilling to sell to their arch-rivals.

A move to Lyon could be seen as a compromise, with Perrin assessing whether Heinze would be a suitable replacement for Cris at centre-half.

Right profile

"The long unavailability of our captain is added to that of Gregory Coupet and Fred, which means three key players of the team," Perrin told L'Equipe.

"Our job is to look for, and find, the best replacement for Cris.

"The problem is that there are not a lot of players who could join us.

"The best thing would be to find a player able to play as a left central defender, and it is even more difficult to find.

"Gabriel Heinze? He has the right profile.

"Above all, we have to know if, after playing a big part of his career as a left full-back, he now wants to play regularly as a central defender."