Birmingham City showing ‘strong interest’ in Newcastle United duo - face competition from Sheffield United & Watford

Birmingham City are showing ‘strong interest’ in Newcastle United duo Dwight Gayle and Ciaran Clark but face stiff competition if they are to land either of their signatures.

That’s according to Daily Mail’s North East football correspondent, Craig Hope, who claims Watford will challenge Blues for Gayle whilst Sheffield United will battle it out for Clark.

Gayle, 32, has proved deadly in the past at Championship level and would be the perfect replacement for last season’s fan-favourite loanee, Lyle Taylor, if a deal was able to be done.

The Hornets, however, may have the edge and will be able to offer far more in terms of a contract, especially if they lose Emmanuel Dennis for a solid fee this summer.

Republic of Ireland international Clark on the other hand has proved himself a steady Premier League defender over the last few years and would bring with him much needed quality and experience to a threadbare Blues back-line.

The former Aston Villa man is able to play anywhere across the defence including both full-back positions making him an invaluable addition if a deal was to be completed.

If Birmingham are able to land either of these two, it would turn what initially looked a real bleak summer into a much more positive one - especially following the arrival of Wolves defender Dion Sanderson on a season-long loan yesterday.

A message from the editor:

Thank you for reading. BirminghamWorld is Birmingham’s latest news website, championing everything that is great about our city - reporting on news, lifestyle and sport. We want to start a community among our readers, so please follow us on Facebook,Twitter and Instagram, and keep the conversation going.