Birmingham City sign Austrian defender Christoph Klarer

Birmingham City have announced the signing of 24-year-old Austrian defender Christoph Klarer from Darmstadt 98. Klarer has agreed to a three-year contract.

Klarer spent just one season with Darmstadt, during which he missed only four matches and scored two goals. This marks the third consecutive season in which Klarer has made over 30 appearances in German football.

In an interview with BluesTV at the Birmingham City Elite Performance and Innovation Centre, Klarer expressed his excitement about joining Birmingham.

"I am very happy to be here. There was a lot going on in the last couple of hours, but I am excited to get it done," he said.

"Obviously, it is a very big club and I got very excited about the project that the owners are trying to bring into this club."

Born in Boheimkirchen, Austria, Klarer began his youth career with Southampton at the age of 16 in July 2016. He signed a contract with the Saints that lasted until 2021.

During this period, he was loaned to St Polten and made 76 appearances across the Under-18s and Under-21s before transferring permanently to Fortuna Dusseldorf.

At Fortuna, Klarer played for three seasons and earned 10 of his 12 caps for Austria's Under-21 team, having represented his country from the Under-15 level onwards.