Birmingham City strike Norwich City transfer agreement as medical pencilled in | OneFootball

The centre-back is looking for a move away from Carrow Road this January with minutes hard to come by.

Birmingham City are set to sign Norwich City defender Grant Hanley on a free transfer following Dion Sanderson's loan departure to Blackburn Rovers.

Alan Nixon has reported via his Patreon that the League One outfit have the 33-year-old on the radar as they battle to win promotion back to the Championship at the first time of asking, and a further update from Pink'Un's Connor Southwell claims that the Scotsman is pencilled in for a medical with Birmingham.

Blues are currently top of the third tier, and two points clear of Wycombe Wanderers, as well as having two games in hand on the Chairboys.

Birmingham's form has been excellent throughout the campaign, but manager Chris Davies is still set on improving his side ahead of the run-in, with Huddersfield Town, in particular, a side to look out for in the next few months.

Birmingham closing in on Norwich City centre-back Grant Hanley

The West Midlands outfit have created a space in their squad by sending Sanderson to Blackburn, and they look set to replace him with the experienced Norwich defender, Hanley.

Rovers were interested in bringing the 33-year-old back to Ewood Park themselves, but after securing a deal with Birmingham for Sanderson, they looked unlikely to pursue the deal, and that has given Birmingham the platform to get a deal done.

Hanley has played just three times in the Championship for the Canaries in 2024/25, and with his opportunities limited, Johannes Hoff Thorup has allowed him to move on.

Sheffield United have also shown an interest in the centre-back following Harry Souttar's season-ending injury, but he may have more access to game time in League One with Birmingham in comparison to the Blades.

Grant Hanley could be the perfect Birmingham City stop-gap until Phil Neumann arrives

Davies has been chasing German defender Phil Neumann over the course of the season, and it has been reported that a deal has been secured for the 27-year-old, who can play at right-back and centre-back, as per The Telegraph's Mike McGrath.

Hanley could provide Blues with the perfect stop-gap ahead of Neumann's arrival, and his experience will prove crucial as Birmingham look to head back to the Championship.

The January transfer window has not been as exciting for supporters as the summer one was, but the addition of the 33-year-old could be a very good one, and he still has the quality to help the club to the league title, while also not costing them too much.

It will likely be a short-term contract on the table for Hanley, and if he gets on the pitch he will either be looking to put himself in the shop window or eearn himself a longer deal at St. Andrew's, and playing for a team that is pushing for the title will only help him in that.