Birmingham City are close to finalizing a deal to recruit Hannover centre-back Phil Neumann, who has already had a medical, according to Football Insider.
The League One club is in talks to sign the 27-year-old after having a £3.4 million bid rejected last summer.
Neumann is reported to have landed in the UK last Friday and had a medical in Birmingham.
However, a settlement has not yet been reached, despite Birmingham’s hopes of reaching a full agreement by the January deadline.
Talks between the teams have deadlocked, with Hannover demanding a £4 million asking price.
On November 3, a source stated that Birmingham planned to make an upgraded proposal for the centre-back this month.
Neumann has been touted as a major target for the Blues following his performances in Germany’s second division.
Hannover want £4million for Birmingham top target Neumann
He has played 90 minutes in all but one of Hannover’s games this season, missing the match against Hertha Berlin last month due to suspension.
The former Germany Under-20 international has 173 games of 2.Bundesliga experience, having played for Hannover, Holsten Kiel, and Ingolstadt.
He typically plays center back but can also play right back.
Birmingham are currently leading League One under manager Chris Davies, two points ahead of Wycombe and Wrexham, and have two games in hand on their closest opponents.
The Blues spent substantially in the summer window, breaking their transfer record by signing striker Jay Stansfield as the largest of 17 deals.
