Championship side Birmingham City have reportedly beaten Eredivisie giants Ajax to the signing of Deportivo Alaves winger Carlos Vicente.
Birmingham Close in on Carlos Vicente Deal
Alaves winger Carlos Vicente is reportedly set to join Championship side Birmingham City.
Spanish outlet Marca report that negotiations between both clubs are in their final stages, with the Blues set to seal the 26-year-old’s signature in a deal worth around €8m (£6.94m).
Vicente is expected to travel to England to finalise the transfer in the coming hours.
Keen to test his abilities within the English game, the Real Zaragoza academy graduate will put pen to paper on a three-and-a-half-year deal at St Andrew’s worth around £2.6m per season.
He is expected to become a key player under Chris Davies in the West Midlands.
His departure from the Spanish top-flight relegation battlers was hinted at on Sunday evening as his side claimed an impressive 2-1 home win over high-flying Real Betis.
Vicente scored his side’s opener and delivered a star performance to earn a standing ovation from supporters, who chanted ‘Carlos, stay! Carlos, stay!’ as he was substituted late on.
In total, he has registered 10 goals and three assists in 25 appearances for Alaves this term.
Alongside Birmingham, Eredivisie and European giants Ajax were also interested in signing him.
Sky Sports report that Vicente preferred a move to the Championship over the Amsterdam club.
Once the move becomes official, Vicente will become the Blues’ fifth signing of the window. He follows Kai Wagner, Jhon Solis, Ibrahim Osman and August Priske through the door.
Vicente To Boost Blues’ Promotion Hopes
The Blues’ Premier League promotion hopes will undoubtedly be boosted by Vicente’s arrival.
They are currently in 13th place in the Championship table, five points adrift of the playoff positions, and have lost just one of their last eight matches across all competitions (W3, D4, L1).
Last time out, they were held to a 1-1 draw by Stoke on home turf after initially taking the lead.
Despite a slight upturn in form, head coach Davies remains under serious pressure.
He is currently the second favourite in the Championship sack race odds market at 7/2.
The club have clear ambitions of being promoted to the top-flight, supported by the fact that they have spent big in the transfer market, placing even more pressure on Davies to deliver.
A poor string of results could see the clubs dismiss the Welshman in the near future.
If they opt to part ways with the 40-year-old, former England interim manager and current England U21 boss Lee Carsley is the favourite in the next Birmingham manager odds market.
The Blues return to second tier action away at relegation-battlers Oxford United next Saturday, where they’ll be looking to extend their unbeaten run to six straight matches in all competitions.
Pending official confirmation, Vicente will likely be eligible to feature at the Kassam Stadium.
