Birmingham City Football Club News

• Nickname:Blues
• Founded:1875
• Manager:Chris Hughton

• Ground:St Andrew's
• Capacity:30,016

Blues set to pluck Vine

11 Jan 2007 - 11:59:40

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Birmingham City have agreed a fee of £2.5million with Luton Town for striker Rowan Vine.

The Championship leaders have been forced into the transfer market after Nicklas Bendtner suffered an ankle injury that will sideline the on-loan Arsenal striker for at least a month.

Cameron Jerome is also sidelined indefinitely with a troublesome Achilles injury.

Earlier in the week, the Blues' cross-city rivals West Brom had a £2million bid for the 24-year-old hitman rejected by the Hatters.

Vine has netted 14 times for Luton this season, including a brace in a 3-2 victory over Birmingham at Kenilworth Road in October.

"We had the best goalscoring team in the country apart from Manchester United with Gary McSheffrey, Nicklas Bendtner, Cameron Jerome and DJ Campbell. They have been terrific," said Blues boss Steve Bruce.

"Now we have lost two of them and we have to do something about it.

"Vine has scored three goals against us this season. He is someone we quite like. He is a good player."