'In limbo' - Birmingham City face transfer headache with two key deals amid Chris Davies' recruitment 'demand'
Birmingham are looking to strengthen their squad ahead of the new Championship season
Birmingham City face a key conundrum regarding two potential incoming signings this summer. The Blues steamrolled the League One with a record-breaking 111 points to win promotion back into the Championship and now have ambitions of climbing another step up the footballing ladder in their first year back in the second tier.
Chris Davies’ side can take great inspiration from the way Ipswich Town went about life in the Championship after promotion and are hoping to take a leaf out of their book this campaign by signing plenty of options across their frontline and in the attacking midfield areas.
Birmingham City play waiting game for Kanya Fujimoto
Birmingham World reported earlier this week that the Blues were edging closer towards the signing of Kanya Fujimoto from Portuguese outfit Gil Vicente.
The 25-year-old midfielder is notably out-of-contract this summer and has been identified as the calibre of player that could help the club make the jump up to Championship level. The Japanese footballer has caught the eye with five goals and five assists this season and has more than half a decade of experience playing in Portugal’s top division.
However, the midfielder is thought to be carrying an injury at present which has led to him missing the last two matches, with his last appearance coming in a 2-1 loss to champions Sporting. Birmingham at present, are waiting to find out the extent of the player’s injury, before coming to a verdict over whether the transfer is feasible at this time.
Birmingham City plot move for Kwame Poku
Peterborough United attacker Kwame Poku is understood to be the subject of interest from League One winners Birmingham, who were impressed by the 23-year-old during the EFL Trophy final at Wembley Stadium. Poku registered 12 goals and 11 assists in 31 appearances across all competitions for Peterborough and has been a standout performer at the Weston Homes Stadium for a Posh team that’s struggled at the bottom end of the table for most of this season.
The youngster is blessed with immense speed, trickery, agility, creativity and a great ability to glide past defenders, which makes him an excellent fit for Birmingham in the eyes of Chris Davies, if reports from Give Me Sport are to be believed. Poku has been the subject of interest for a number of months. “A Championship club tried to force a deal through for Kwame in January, but he was injured at the time and they didn’t offer anything like what we wanted,” admitted Barry Fry, via Peterborough Today.
"They were just trying to get ahead of the game as they knew there would be many more clubs after him in the summer. He is the best player in League One after all. Celtic and Rangers have been at most of our games this season, but I don’t believe Kwame will go to Scotland. He will more likely sign for a top end Championship club.”
However, Give Me Sport adds that this switch is far from a formality, with Peterborough reportedly demanding a large fee for his services. The Posh are also aware that they are capable of creating a potential bidding war for the player’s services, with Celtic and Rangers both expressing an interest in the winger.