Permanent deal for Muamba?

Birmingham are reportedly on the brink of making their first signing of the summer.

To hear that they have pipped Reading to the post for the signature of Fabrice Muamba will gladden many supporters` hearts.

The deal is reported to be in the region of £4m and will tie the U18 international to St Andrew`s until 2010.

The lad from Arsenal who turned up at the start of the season along with Seb Larsson and Nicklas Bendtner took a few games to make an impact.

Tipped by Arsene Wenger as “the next Vieira”, fans were unsure of the 18-year old`s abilities at first, but they quickly warmed to him as he got his feet under the proverbial table, or rather under the legs of other midfielders to tackle them out of the game.

Muamba is by no means the finished product yet; great in the tackle, his passing skills still need some work. He has bags of energy and covers miles in every game. Currently, he lacks composure in front of goal at the moment but these skills can be improved by coaching.

Winner of Birmingham City`s Young Player of the Year award, Muamba seems to play with a constant smile on his face and has become a huge favourite with supporters young and old alike.

Steve Bruce made it clear that he would be dipping into the transfer market sooner rather than later and this hugely popular young player was clearly at the top of his list.

Confirmation of the deal is expected soon.