Birmingham have today agreed an undisclosed but substantial fee with Chelsea for Danish midfielder Jesper Gronkjaer. The St Andrews club are in the process of agreeing personal terms with the player, who is currently participating in Euro 2004. Gronkjaer missed Denmark's opening game of the tournament, against Italy on Monday, because of the death of his mother.
Although his form was erratic throughout the season, Gronkjaer played a vital part in Chelsea clinching runners-up spot in the latter stages of the Premiership. The 26-year-old opened his goal account for the season in the 2-2 Champions League semi-final first-leg draw with Monaco at Stamford Bridge, before following up three days later with an impressive solo effort in the 1-1 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford. The following week he notched the decisive goal in the 1-0 defeat of Leeds which helped Claudio Ranieri's side preserve their advantage over Manchester United in the chase for second spot.
Blues boss Steve Bruce is hoping to complete the swoop for Gronkjaer, having already signed Mikael Forssell on loan from Chelsea for another season and added Muzzy Izzet and Emile Heskey to the Birmingham roster for next season.
Filed by James Boylan
