Birmingham and Reading to fight for Premier League loanee

Birmingham City and Reading are set to go head-to-head in a battle to sign Arsenal forward Alex Iwobi on loan.

The Championship outfits, who currently sit sixth and seventh in the standings after their opening 17 league games, want to sign the young Gunner before the emergency loan window shuts tomorrow.

The 19-year-old, who already has two senior international caps for Nigeria, has scored twice and assisted two goals in five Premier League Under-21 appearances for Arsenal so far this season.

Manager Arsene Wenger is keen for Iwobi to gain first-team experience at a Football League club this term; despite making brief appearances against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, versus Swansea City in the Premier League and Sheffield Wednesday in the League Cup this campaign.