Birmingham City are reportedly close to signing Cardiff City striker Omar Bogle on loan as Garry Monk scrambles to improve his squad before the transfer deadline, according to the Birmingham Mail.

The Blues have been hit with a transfer embargo for breaking rules related to Financial Fair Play last season and have not been able to register new players this summer despite spending £2million on Union Berlin left-back Kristian Pedersen.

But Monk will still be hopeful of completing a deal to bring Bogle to St. Andrews.

His side got off to a decent start at the weekend drawing 2-2 with Norwich City at St. Andrews with an impressive performance where the Blues twice led.

Bogle moved to Cardiff from Wigan Athletic in the summer of 2017 after the striker scored 19 goals for Grimsby and three for the Latics in the 2016/17 season.

But the striker never found his feet in Wales and was loaned out to Peterborough United for the second half of last season where he scored once in nine games, before falling out of favour with Grant McCann and then Steve Evans.

His record for Grimsby Town was much more impressive scoring 35 times and assisting 15 more in 77 games.

The verdict 

This is far from a sure thing for Birmingham if they do land the 25-year-old.

He has hardly shone in the Championship and struggled during his loan spell at Peterborough as well.

But if Monk can get the best out of him he will undoubtedly be a force. Although there are certainly a lot of question marks.