Aitor Karanka: Birmingham City set to appoint Spaniard as new boss

Aitor Karanka spent four years as Middlesbrough boss before later becoming Nottingham Forest manager

Birmingham City are set to name ex-Nottingham Forest and Middlesbrough boss Aitor Karanka as Pep Clotet's replacement, reports BBC Radio WM.

Blues chief executive Xuandong Ren is said to have been in Spain finalising negotiations with the 46-year-old.

Karanka has been out of management since being sacked by Nottingham Forest in January 2019, after just a year in the job.

He previously guided Boro to promotion to the Premier League.

Karanka's time at the Riverside Stadium ended in March 2017 as Boro battled to avoid being immediately relegated back to the Championship.

The former Real Madrid coach, who worked under Jose Mourinho at the Bernabeu, was given his first shot at management at Boro when appointed in 2013 and proved a success as he guided them back to the top flight in the 2015-16 season.

A return to England's second division with Blues would present a real challenge for Karanka, who reportedly previously held talks with Birmingham about replacing Harry Redknapp in 2017, as the West Midlands club finished the 2019-20 season in disastrous fashion.

The St Andrew's side failed to win a game following football's three-month coronarvirus suspension, picking up just three points from a possible 27 to finish two places and two points above the relegation spots.

The run saw Spaniard Clotet leave as head coach on 8 July following a 3-1 defeat by Swansea, after initially being set to see out the season.