Birmingham City to move for Serie B defender?

Birmingham City are reportedly considering a move for defender Cheick Keita from Serie B.

The 20-year-old currently plies his trade with Virtus Entella and has featured 14 times so far this season, mainly at left-back.

According to the Birmingham Mail, his performances for the side - currently eighth in Italy's second tier - have alerted Brum's Italian manager Gianfranco Zola as he looks to strengthen before the transfer window closes in a fortnight.

The newspaper also claims that Championship title-chasers Newcastle United have also expressed an interest in the youngster, who moved to Entella from the Monaco academy in 2014 and is valued at £1.7m.

Keita was born in Paris but switched his allegiance to Mali and is still waiting to win his first cap for the national side.