Birmingham City have moved into pole position to snap up Southend United's Bilel Mohsni, according to reports.
The highly-rated French defender is keen to secure a move away from Southend United, and has attracted a great deal of interest.
He trained with Premier League side West Ham, who lodged a bid for his services, but their offer of ?150,000 was rejected.
The 25-year-old then linked up with Championship club Ipswich Town but after impressing on trial, he refused their invite to extend his stay with the club.
Now Mohsni is set to link up with Birmingham ahead of a loan move, which would then become permanent.
However, Sky Sports understands that Birmingham need to move at least one player on before completing a deal for Mohsni, who is set to train with the club this week.
