Birmingham have completed the signing of Rafael Schmitz from Lille on a season-long loan deal.
Steve Bruce had confirmed the Brazilian-born defender was heading to St Andrews and he has now put pen-to-paper after passing a medical.
Schmitz, who is Bruce's seventh signing ahead of the Premier League season, has been a long-term target for the Blues boss.
"Rafael's got good experience, he's been at Lille for a while," Bruce told the club's official website.
"We saw Lille play in the league against Paris Saint Germain and Auxerre and Rafael impressed both times.
"He's left-sided and he's played in the Champions League so he knows what it's about.
"I'm sure he will do very, very well for us."
The 26-year-old's arrival at Birmingham may be delayed slightly while he waits to receive his French passport.
Schmitz was granted dual nationality in May, but could have to wait up to four weeks to join up with Bruce's squad.