Wigan target Blues ace

Wigan face competition from Marseille for Birmingham midfielder Olivier Kapo who has failed to report for pre-season with the Blues.

Latics chief Steve Bruce brought Kapo to the Premier League from Juventus last summer for £3m, but the 27-year-old has not turned up in the Midlands this week apparently because of hand injury.

Kapo is thought to be unwilling to play in the Championship and his agent Willie McKay, who also represents Antoine Sibierski, has confirmed Bruce is trying to engineer a player-plus-cash deal which would see Sibierski move to St Andrews.

McKay told the Evening Post: "Steve Bruce is a big admirer of Olivier having worked with him before and would like to bring him to Wigan, while Marseille hope they can bring him back to France.

"I believe Wigan are prepared to offer some players in exchange to try and persuade Birmingham to do a deal."