Birmingham City are interested in Pacos de Ferreira's Douglas Tanque, and they would be willing to pay up to £3m to land the striker.

It's no secret that Aitor Karanka is desperate to add to his attacking options before the deadline passes, with Sam Cosgrove thought to be close to signing.

However, another number nine is wanted along with the Aberdeen man, and BBC WM reporter Richard Wilford confirmed that the Brazilian is a target, although he stressed a deal wouldn't be easy.

"Interest being shown by @BCFC in Pacos de Ferreira striker Douglas Tanque. Widely expected to be on the move this window, Blues are willing to pay £3m for the Brazilian. Would have to fend off some competition for the 27-year old."

Tanque has had a very interesting career so far, playing in Brazil, Japan, Mexico and Thailand before he joined his current Portuguese side in 2018.

And, he has done well with Pacos de Ferreira, scoring nine goals in his first season to help them back to the top-flight, and he backed that up with 11 goals in the previous campaign.

The striker has managed five in 14 games this season, with the team currently sitting 5th in the Primeira Liga.

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The verdict

Firstly, you have to say that Blues fans will be very encouraged by the fact they are keen on another striker to join Cosgrove, and that's the right approach as they need more goals.

Whether Tanque is the right man is open to debate, but he has done very well in Portugal over the past few years, which is a good standard.

Clearly, this transfer isn't going to be straightforward given the other interest, so it will be intriguing to see if it can get done.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.