Birmingham manager Alex McLeish is closing in on finalising a move for Cardiff defender Roger Johnson.

Blues have now tabled a new bid with a larger down payment – understood to be more than half the total up front – towards the £5million fee which the Bluebirds have demanded for the 26-year-old.

After weeks of negotiations over the way the transfer fee is to be paid, the two clubs finally look set to reach agreement on the structure of the deal.

Cardiff chairman Peter Ridsdale has confirmed that Blues are the only team to have made a formal offer for Johnson.

Ridsdale said: “A fee of £5 million, subject to how it’s paid, is a figure where we’d have to put it to Roger.

“I’ve had informal feedback from Roger that he would like to talk to a Premier League side.

“Clearly we wouldn’t stand in any player’s way if the price was right. Regrettably every player has his price but we’re not letting people go on the cheap.

“It’ll always be a blow when you lose your best players, but there’ll be no point having good players here who are moaning.”