Giovanny Espinoza is expected in Birmingham this weekend for talks with Brum officials.

The Birmingham Mail says the experienced centre-back flew out of his home country on Tuesday, although it is still unclear whether he is waiting for the relevant paperwork in either New York or Madrid as both cities have the respective embassy required for the Ecuadorian.

Either way, the 32-year-old is expected to arrive in England this weekend, possibly as early as today.

All being well, Espinoza, set to sign on a two-year contract for around $600,000 from Barcelona Sporting Club, will then undergo a medical, put pen-to-paper on his deal before returning to Ecuador for a short-break ahead of pre-season training early next month.