Birmingham City and Reading are chasing a deal for former Huddersfield Town centre-back Naby Sarr, according to a report from Football Insider.

The 28-year-old made 25 appearances in all competitions during the 2021/22 campaign, appearing regularly during 2020/21 but falling out of the starting lineup in the past 12 months with the likes of Tom Lees and Levi Colwill starring for the Terriers.

Despite Colwill returning to Chelsea at the end of the last campaign, with the promising defender unlikely to return to the John Smith's Stadium amid interest from Premier League sides, the West Yorkshire outfit took the decision to sever ties with Sarr on the expiration of his contract.

This would be an ideal signing for the Royals with Paul Ince's side currently unable to spend money on transfer fees at this stage, limiting them to free agents and loanees and a deal for the 28-year-old could be on the cards considering he falls into the former category.

Birmingham, meanwhile, have just installed a new manager in John Eustace and the former Watford man will need to get to work straight away with the West Midlands side having a very limited number of options in central defence following Kristian Pedersen and Teden Mengi's departures.

However, they aren't the only side in the race for his services with German second-tier side Kaiserslautern also thought to be in with a chance of winning his signature.

The Verdict:

This would be an excellent signing for both sides considering he stepped up to the plate well when he was needed at the John Smith's Stadium last term - and was unlucky not to win more appearances.

The Royals already have Scott Dann, Tom Holmes, Tom McIntyre, Liam Moore, Jeriel Dorsett and others at their disposal in central defence but with Moore out injured, another option could be useful.

Regardless of the existing options they already have though, they recorded the joint-worst defensive record in the division during 2021/22 and a shake-up is needed in central defence to give them the best chance of being more successful next season.

Birmingham may not play a back three under Eustace - but that doesn't matter at this stage because they don't have enough options in this area to call on and a man of Sarr's calibre could potentially come in and make a difference.

He could be a good replacement for Harlee Dean who may not be at St Andrew's beyond the summer - and may be able to offer the former Terrier a better deal compared to the Royals who are still operating under financial restrictions.