Barnsley: Gerhard Struber plotting another swoop on former club Wolfsberger

The January transfer window has already seen midfielder Marcel Ritzmaier follow boss Gerhard Struber from the Austrian side and now the defender is on the Reds' shopping list.

Struber has long spoken about his desire to sign an experienced and hardened central defender and Sollbauer looks to fit the bill.

Struber says they are well placed to sign the 29-year-old but it is not yet confirmed.

He said: "Michael Sollbauer was my captain at Wolfsberger AC. He is a very interesting player with big experience and strength.

"That is what we need in the future, but now it is not fixed. We are in a good exchange, but no more."

The Reds' need for a defender is even more pressing following news of the Football Association's investigation into Bambo Diaby's alleged failed drugs test.

The Spaniard is reported to have commit the anti-doping violation after Struber's first game in charge at Blackburn in November.

The Reds have suspended him while the FA are investigating and if he is found guilty, he could face a four-year ban.

"This is the situation with Bambo,” Struber said. “I don't know what is coming and I need my 100 per cent focus not on the situation about Bambo, but in my next game and game plan."

“It is a difficult situation for me and my team. The process is running and we have no (new) information from FA.”