Club ‘preparing announcement’ following Birmingham City and Sunderland transfer interest

Birmingham City have beaten Sunderland to the signing of South Korea international Paik Seung-ho on a permanent deal, with an announcement set to be made in the coming hours.

Blues are expected to announce their second January acquisition imminently after manager Tony Mowbray confirmed a deal for Seung-ho was nearing completion. Predominantly a central midfielder but capable of playing pretty much anywhere else other than defence, the 26-year-old is set to provide Birmingham a boost with his versatility.

Clubs in Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga, as well as Sunderland, made offers to Seung-ho but the player has decided to join Birmingham instead. The project is said to have been very convincing for the 15-time South Korea international, who became quite the national hero when he scored against Brazil at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

"I would hope he would be in this week some time," Mowbray told Birmingham Mail after the 3-0 defeat at Leicester City in the FA Cup. "Let's wait and see. Hopefully he can give us some help and some quality – a different dimension to what we've got at the moment.

"He plays forward, shoots from distance, plays good passes, runs all day. I have managed South Koreans before, they are amazing human beings, individuals who graft and work, listen and want to get better. We are looking forward to him coming and hopefully help us move forward," Mowbray continued.