Stoke deal agreed but Dann holding out for Arsenal or Chelsea

Scott Dann will not be plying his trade at Birmingham City next season, but who the young centre-half will be representing remains to be seen.

It is believed Birmingham and Stoke City have agreed a deal for the 24-year-old but while Tony Pulis puts together a package to lure Dann to the Britannia, the player is holding out for a move to either Arsenal or Chelsea.

Andres Villas-Boas is keen to bolster his squad with an English defender and it is believed the Portuguese manager has his sights on Birmingham’s 6ft 4in centre-half, but the Chelsea manager will have to move quickly with a deal in place for Stoke.

Arsenal remain in the hunt for defenders, especially now Gael Clichy has made the move north to Manchester, and while Gary Cahill remains high on Arsene Wenger’s list, Dann has emerged as another option to the Arsenal manager.

Wenger’s lack of activity in the transfer market would be a worry to Arsenal fans though, especially if Stoke have a deal in place for the £10m-rated centre-back, and Wenger’s inability to move quickly in this transfer window could cost them Dann.

Dann finds himself in the same position as Connor Wickham who recently completed his move to Sunderland.

Sunderland and Ipswich agreed a fee for Wickham but the player was holding out for a move to Liverpool.

However Liverpool weren’t prepared to make a concrete offer for the striker despite plenty of speculation suggesting they would, and while Dann has his eyes on the top of the Premier League table, Stoke’s offer puts them in pole position.

Bought from Coventry for £3.5m, Birmingham will be looking to make a profit on a player that has made 50 caps appearances for the Blues, but Pulis is a shrewd man and the agreed deal is probably in the region of £8m with add-ons.