Birmingham City have beaten off strong competition from fellow Premier League new boys Wolverhampton Wanderers to secure the services of Coventry City's highly rated young centre-back Scott Dann.

Blues have paid an undisclosed club record fee for a defender to snap-up 22-year-old Dann, who has agreed personal terms with the club.

The England Under-21 international began his career with Walsall in 2004, for whom he went on to play 69 games and score eight goals.

During his time with the Saddlers he was loaned out to Danish outfit Koge BK and also had brief spells with Redditch United and Hednesford Town.

But it was after Iain Dowie signed him for Coventry in January 2008 that 6ft 2ins Dann really began to make an impression.

Awarded the captain's armband by the Sky Blues' last term, Dann played 49 games in total for Coventry and scored four times, including the winning goal against Blues at the Ricoh Arena last season.

He becomes Blues' third summer capture following the arrivals of defender Stephen Carr and Ecuador striker Christian Benitez, the latter joining for a club record transfer fee from Mexican outfit Santos Laguna.