Robbie Keane's loan deal to Aston Villa is slowly churning through all that “red tape” Alex McLeish was talking about last weekend and likely will be finalized Wednesday, according to reports in Britain and a Galaxy source.

McLeish, Villa's manager, is desperate for Keane's services after forward Emile Heskey sustained an Achilles' tendon injury in Saturday's F.A. Cup victory over Bristol Rovers. Heskey is expected to miss at least a month.

“When you see what happens to Emile, you realize getting Keane in is a decent idea,” McLeish told reporters Monday. “Whether there are more remains to be seen. We have got to manage the wages situation.”

The Irish striker, who began training Monday with the Birmingham-based club, anticipates he'll debut in Saturday's English Premier League clash at Everton, where Galaxy captain Landon Donovan is playing on loan.

Keane's seven-week deal will net the Galaxy about $775,000, according to multiple British media reports. British wire service The Press Association last week said the deal could be worth as much as $1 million.

“Robbie is a player I watched when I was growing up. If you are getting players like that, it is good for the club,” Villans midfielder Barry Bannan told reporters. “Robbie will add to the strength and the depth of the club as well.

“For the younger players, it is great to have a player of that caliber and experience in the squad, even for a short spell. Our squad is pretty young experience-wise, and having another wise head is only going to help us as a group. Robbie has been around for ages and played at the top level.”