Leicester set to sign Hannover 'keeper Ron-Robert Zieler

Leicester City is on the verge of making its first summer signing as Premier League title-holders, with Hannover shot-stopper Ron-Robert Zieler close to joining Claudio Ranieri's lot.

Fresh of relegation with Hannover, the World Cup-winning German will have his €3.5-million release clause met by Leicester, prompting a trip to England for a medical, according to a statement on Hannover's website.

"Ron-Robert Zieler has exercised its option right enshrined in his contract and Hannover 96 has been informed that he will travel to the English champions Leicester City for contract talks. In addition, the 27-year-old goalkeeper will complete the sports medical examinations in England," the statement said.

Zieler, 27, appeared in 34 matches for the bottom-dwelling Lower Saxons, boasting five clean sheets in his sixth season with the club. It was the fifth time in five years that Zieler played 34 league matches. He's nothing if not consistent.

A move to Leicester won't be Zieler's first experience with English football, having spent three years with Manchester United's academy before promotion to the first team in 2008. Without a single senior-team appearance at Old Trafford, Zieler was loaned to Northampton Town in 2009 before making the pilgrimage back to his homeland in 2010 to join Hannover.

With the Foxes poised for their maiden Champions League voyage next season, squad depth will be crucial for Ranieri's lot, with Zieler likely to play backup to first-choice 'keeper Kasper Schmeichel.