Magnus Hedman could yet join his former Coventry team-mate Chris Kirkland on Merseyside.

But while the 20 year old Leicestershire youngster signed for Liverpool for a British record £9 million, Hedman has been strongly linked with Everton.

The two keepers shared a changing room at Coventry, but they would be enemies in the fiercely partisan soccer world that is Liverpool.

Coventry's chairman Bryan Richardson says he now wants to keep Hedman, who during the summer was linked with Monaco, West Ham United, Everton and now Sporting Lisbon.

The player will not comment on the situation. It was clear that when he finally lost his first team place at Coventry to Kirkland, his agents immediately put out the word around the continent of Europe that he was available for transfer.

The Swede was understandably alarmed that his international place would be jeopardised if he was confined to reserve team football, so a move was clearly signposted.

World filtered out that Hedman preferred to stay in English football, which is when West Ham United and Everton came in the frame.

Everton were at the forefront and at one stage appeared ready to pay £3 million, but it all depended on the sale of the midfield player Michael Ball to Glasgow Rangers.

That deal stuttered for a while, but Ball has now joined Rangers for a £5 million fee and Everton's manager Walter Smith is believed to be lobbying his board of directors to release some of the money for transfers.

Meanwhile the cause of Hedman's unrest at Coventry has been removed with Kirkland's departure and the Swede finds himself unchallenged again as No.1 goalkeeper.

The question is whether he will be content to play First Division football rather than be in the Premier League spotlight. There is a school of thought that Coventry will still unload him and then buy in a new keeper for £1 or £2 million, leaving them with a £10 million profit on the sale of Kirkland and Hedman.

In fact it is rumoured today that Coventry are interested in Bradford City's out of favour keeper Matt Clarke.

City also currently have former Scotland goalie Andy Goram on loan. Strachan might now move to make that a permanent arrangement.