Birmingham boss Gianfranco Zola closes in on deal with Grenada star Rene Krhin in £2m switch
Slovenian international closes in on a move to Championship promotion hopefuls
GIANFRANCO ZOLA is closing in on his second January signing for Birmingham with Grenada’s defensive midfielder Rene Krhin in England to discuss a £2million move.
The Italian boss has already made striker Lukas Jutkiewicz’s loan deal from Burnley a permanent move.
Now he is hopeful to bring in two midfielders to boost his Blues starting line-up, after taking just one point from a possible 12 since replacing Gary Rowett just before Christmas.
He has targeted 26-year-old Slovenian international Krhin to add some steel and also wants West Brom’s Craig Gardner to add some flair and creativity to kick-start his Birmingham revolution.
“Krhin is a player we have a big interest in,” revealed Zola ahead of tomorrow’s home FA Cup tie against Newcastle.
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“He is a Slovenian international with the right qualities. He is a player who can add something to the team so we will wait and see what happens.
“We are also trying for Craig Gardner who is another player we have a big interest in. We are at a good point in discussions with the player and West Brom and are trying to sort out the final details.
“Hopefully the deal will go through although I cannot yet say if it will be a loan deal or a permanent move.
“I believe the player wants to come and it’s generally known he is a Birmingham City supporter and likes the club.
“He has played here before and everyone here likes him so it could be a good move for both parties.”
However Zola confessed he fears another target, Bakary Sako, may have played himself out of a move because of recent turnaround in form at Crystal Palace.
He said: “Bacary has been playing well for Palace and it might be too difficult for him to move now.
“I heard their fans were chanting his name so it won’t be easy to move him but he is a player we would be interested in.”