According to Florian Plettenberg, English League One club Birmingham City has agreed to sign Hannover 96 defender Phil Neumann.
It had previously been reported that the Blues were considering a move for the 27-year-old centre-back as their first acquisition in the January transfer window.
However, while Neumann will join Birmingham, he will not begin his new role until the summer.
The defender’s contract at Heinz von Heiden-Arena was slated to expire in the summer, allowing the Blues to sign Neumann on a free transfer.
Birmingham could yet negotiate a deal with Hannover to bring the 27-year-old to St. Andrews sooner than expected, but no official bid has been made as of yet.
It is understood that the 2. Bundesliga side are hopeful of keeping Neumann at the club this winter as they attempt to battle for promotion to the Bundesliga, sitting just one point behind third-placed Hamburger SV in the table.
Regardless, despite interest from a number of Bundesliga sides, such as Borussia Monchengladbach, Augsburg, and Union Berlin, Neumann will become a Birmingham City player.
