HULL City are pushing to close the deal to make defender Maynor Figueroa their first new signing of the summer.
And the Tigers are also set to return to Birmingham with an improved offer for Curtis Davies as manager Steve Bruce looks to build his Premier League squad from the back.
Bruce has told the Tigers' hierarchy that 30-year-old Honduran Figueroa is his top defensive target and, following positive talks with the free agent, City are confident a deal for the left-back can be concluded in the coming week.
Given he has five years' experience of playing in the Premier League with Wigan, City will have to match his top-flight level wages.
But with no transfer fee to pay, Bruce has been assured City will do all they can to meet his demands and complete the deal.
Sources have also told the Mail City's pursuit of Davies is continuing despite having an initial offer rejected.
With just a year remaining on his current deal, centre-half Davies has made it clear to Birmingham that he is not willing to sign an extension and is keen to play in the Premier League again.
A bid from the Tigers, believed to have matched that made by Norwich in January at £2m, was knocked back, but the Mail understands City will return to the table.
Jack Hobbs has already been offered as part of the deal, and should City now raise their cash offering to £3m, Birmingham would be willing to allow talks to start.
As yet, City are the only top-flight club pushing to sign the former Aston Villa and West Brom defender, and as he is a big admirer of Bruce, given all he has achieved in the game, Davies would jump at the chance of moving to East Yorkshire.
Whilst Bruce is making solid progress on his bid to strengthen his defence, the pursuit of a natural goalscorer to bolster his attack is proving more difficult.
Initial enquiries into Figueroa's former Wigan team-mate Arouna Kone appear to have seen him priced out of City's budget.
With a fee of at least £5m needed to prise him away, and the player demanding personal terms the Tigers are unwilling to commit to, he has been crossed off the list of potential additions.
City do continue, though, to pursue Celtic hitman Gary Hooper, although with the Scottish giants saying the former Scunthorpe man won't be sold for less than £7m, his price could prove a sticking point.
With Champions League qualifiers to play, Celtic are in no rush to sell the 25-year-old, even though he is entering the last year of his deal.
Having already rejected an offer of £6m from Norwich, they insist they will not accept a cut-price offer.
Elsewhere, City look set to turn their focus away from Leicester City keeper Kasper Schmeichel after the Foxes insisted he will not be sold at any price.
City have made two approaches to try and prise the player away from Nigel Pearson's side, but have not been willing to raise their bid above £1.75m.
City are known to be looking at various other goalkeeping options including 24-year-old Turkish international Sinan Bolat and Besiktas star Allan McGregor.
They have also been linked with former Middlesbrough and Fulham keeper Mark Schwarzer, whilst Ross Turnbull, released from Chelsea at the end of last season having had little chance of first team football, is also a possibility.
