Blues close in on triple swoop

Birmingham were today closing in on a triple swoop as they race to beat the transfer deadline.

Boss Alex McLeish is hopeful of adding three new faces to his squad after a summer of frustration at St Andrew's.

Spartak Moscow skipper Martin Jiranek is expected to sign for a nominal fee, with his contract in Russia due to expire in December.

Loan deals are also being lined up for Barcelona midfielder Alexander Hleb and Arsenal left-back Armand Traore. The signings would compensate for missing out on a host of targets who have snubbed a move to Blues.

Wigan winger Charles N'Zogbia became the latest player to reject the club over the weekend after they refused to bow to his wage demands.

Cacau changed his mind after talks and re-signed for Stuttgart while Moussa Dembele chose Fulham instead.

And Fabrizio Miccoli's £5m move from Palermo was shelved due to concerns about his knee injury.

"We have lost out on some real quality this summer, not having got them over the line," McLeish said.