Exclusive: David Sullivan - I want the 'right' players at Birmingham City

Jun 17 2009 by Colin Tattum, Birmingham Mail

The loan of Joe Hart is all but agreed and should be announced after the current European under-21 Championship in Sweden.

Blues are still talking to Cardiff City about Roger Johnson, Oguchi Onyewu remains an option and offers have been made to free agents Lee Bowyer and Djimi Traore.

As for the ‘mystery £90,000-a-week man’– the ex-Premier League player abroad who has apparently been offered a king’s ransom – there are no clues.

However, it is understood that such an ambitious transfer, which has sent the Internet community into a frenzy after it was mentioned as an aside, is a long shot and unlikely to come to fruition.

Sullivan said: “What I would say to supporters is that we have not commented on any player, confirmed or denied stories on any player, unless he has been signed.

“This is because 1) it can be seen as tapping-up and illegal and 2) we don’t want to let supporters down if we don’t get who we want, they would just go ‘you were supposed to be in for him, why didn’t he sign?’.

“There is so much going on behind the scenes that people don’t know about. With the manager, we have discussed dozens and dozens of players and myself and Karren Brady in particular have been working ourselves into the ground.”

Spurs schemer Didier Zokora has been the subject of the latest round of speculation.

Although he was on Alex McLeish’s post-season list of ‘possibles’, at around £6 million he would seemingly be beyond range. Blues might be interested in a loan, but they have other irons in the fire for the second temporary domestic signing allowed, to follow Hart.

Sullivan added: “We have got to get in at least one, if not two, new centre-halves.

“We have got to get in at least one central midfielder. Then we will see where we go.

“We’re in for eight or nine players, with negotiations ongoing with three or four. All the time things change.”