Birmingham City 'face competition' from Europa League club for veteran striker amid new target rumours
Birmingham City are hoping to bolster their centre forward options this summer
Birmingham City are expected to face fierce competition from Greek side PAOK as the race to sign Werder Bremen star Marvin Ducksch continues to intensify.
The Blues have already added to their front-line with a move for ex-Celtic forward Kyogo Furuhashi while they also have Jay Stansfield competing for a starting spot after firing in 19 goals in League One last season. Chris Davies’ side, however, did allow Alfie May to depart to third-tier side Huddersfield Town, and are determined to add another experienced striker to their ranks.
Give Me Sport claim Ducksch is the club’s prime target at this stage. He’s scored goals in Germany’s top two divisions on a fairly regular basis throughout the last decade and has even been called up Julian Nagelsmann’s international squad in recent times, with both of his two caps coming in 2023.
Marvin Ducksch to Birmingham City latest
Birmingham City are reported to be in drawn out negotiations with Werder Bremen over the potential transfer of Ducksch. The 31-year-old has one year remaining on his contract at the Weserstadion and could potentially be available for a cut-price fee as the The Green-Whites aim to avoid losing the striker on a free transfer in 12 months time.
However, the process is certainly taking time as PAOK are also planning to represent a proposal of their own to Werder Bremen and the player. The Greek Super League side finished third in the top-flight last year, and can offer the added incentive of European football, with a Europa League play-off on the horizon. They were crowned champions of Greece as recently as 2024 and feel Ducksch could help fire the club to further success in the coming season.
At this stage, however, Werder Bremen’s priority is to get new players in the building before even considering offers for Ducksch. The new Bundesliga season starts in just two weeks time and they have a huge task on their hands to potentially replace their top scorer of two of the last four seasons. They added teenager Salim Musah to their ranks earlier this month and snapped up Samuel Mbangula from Juventus, but the Belgian under-21 international is considered more of a winger than a central striker, meaning their business is far from finished.
What would Marvin Ducksch bring to Birmingham City
Ducksch is an experienced centre forward with an excellent eye for goal and equally strong ability to hold up the ball, link up with his teammates and create chances for those around him.
The 6ft2 forward scored eight and assisted the same nine in 32 league appearances last term while adding a goal and a further two assists in cup competitions. He boasts an overall record of 54 goals and 40 assists in 134 appearances for Werder Bremen and has hit double figures in two of his three seasons in the top-flight. He also fired the club to promotion with 20 in the second tier back in 2021/22 and was also among the leading scorers at second-tier level at Hannover.96, scoring 31 in the league across his final two full league seasons with the club.
Ducksch’s arrival would signal a huge statement of intent for Birmingham ahead of the new campaign if a deal was to materialise. But it’s also worth noting that other targets such as former Aberdeen talisman Bojan Miovski although at this stage nothing is progressing with that particular transfer link.