Blues confident of landing Diao

Birmingham are confident they have won the race to sign Liverpool midfielder Salif Diao on loan for the remainder of the season despite an 11th-hour bid from Aston Villa.

The Senegal international is understood to have held talks on Monday with Villa boss David O'Leary, who is looking to fill the gap left by knee injury victim Gavin McCann.

But 27-year-old Diao is ready to choose Blues after making a late-night phone call to manager Steve Bruce.

Birmingham are expected to make a formal announcement regarding Diao’s capture later today and he will go into the squad for Saturday’s home clash with Fulham.

Bruce is initially viewing the player as a short-term replacement for Robbie Savage, who is bound for Blackburn in a £3m (€4.2m) deal barring any late hitches.

But the option is there for the deal to become permanent in the summer if Diao impresses during the next five months.

Bruce has plenty of midfielders to choose from when the likes of Muzzy Izzet, David Dunn and Stan Lazaridis return from injury.

But he does not have a similar player to the combative Savage in the squad - although Stephen Clemence has performance capably as his replacement – and hopes Diao will provide some steel in the centre of the park.

Diao has been a regular member of the Liverpool 16 this season but has made only four Premiership starts in 2004-2005.

He has made a total of 59 appearances for the Reds whom he joined in a £5m (€7.1m) deal from Sedan in the summer of 2002 after impressing in the World Cup finals in Japan.