Norwich hopeful of sealing £2.2m deal for Champions League defender

Norwich City are reportedly close to finalising the £2.2m signing of Portuguese defender Ivo Pinto.

The newly-promoted Premier League side, who sit six points above the bottom three after their 1-0 victory over Southampton at the weekend, are thought to be in deep discussions with Dinamo Zagreb over the January transfer of the full-back.

The 25-year-old, who is a former Portugal Under-21 international, has made 21 appearances in all competitions for the Croatian outfit this season.

Pinto, who faced English top-flight rivals Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League earlier this term, will provide Canaries boss Alex Neil with some defensive reinforcement this month in the hope he can keep Norwich in the Premier League for a second successive spell come May.