Breaking: Birmingham City rapidly accelerate fourth summer signing as £8m forward passes medical

Birmingham City are reportedly on the brink of sealing a romantic reunion with winger Demarai Gray, nine years on from his initial departure.

Blues boss Chris Davies has been prioritising signing a new winger and Gray, who graduated Birmingham’s academy in 2014 before leaving for Leicester City in 2016, has been heavily linked. Talks have been ongoing for the past couple of weeks and now there has been a major breakthrough.

Give Me Sport journalist Ben Jacobs reports Blues have reached a full agreement so sign Gray from Saudi Pro League club Al-Ettifaq on a free transfer, with a 20 per cent sell-on clause. The winger has already passed the first part of his Birmingham medical and will complete the rest of the formalities in due course.

It was previously thought that Al-Ettifaq, who signed Gray from Everton for around £8 million in 2023, were keen to recoup most of that fee. Blues have seemingly negotiated superbly, however, as the 29-year-old is now set to return to St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park for nothing.

What has Demarai Gray’s form been like in the last few years?

Gray has spent the past two seasons at Ettifaq but has struggled to adapt to life in Saudi Arabia. The winger has scored just four goals and provided only five assists in 50 matches for Ettifaq and he’s been growing increasingly homesick, so a move back to the Second City makes great sense.

Predominantly a left winger but also capable of playing out on the right, Gray has top-flight pedigree and is still in his prime years. The 22-time Jamaica international is a Premier League winner as he played 12 times during Leicester City’s historic 2015/16 campaign – and he even ventured to the Bundesliga to play for Bayer Leverkusen for the second half of the 2020/21 season.

Across spells at Leicester and Everton, Gray has made 200 Premier League appearances throughout his career, scoring 19 goals and providing 14 assists. The Blues academy product also played five times in the UEFA Champions League throughout 2016/17.

Although many of Gray’s best achievements were quite some time ago, he still possesses great pace and flair. His goalscoring output may have slowed over the past few seasons and he certainly didn’t hit the ground running in Saudi Arabia, but a drop down to the Championship could suit him perfectly.

How will Demarai Gray fit in at Birmingham City?

Birmingham need a new left winger and Gray would surely be a significant upgrade on Emil Hansson. The fact that Gray can play on either side is very useful, too, as Davies can switch things up every now and then to try and break down the low blocks oppositions so often deploy.

Despite Gray’s concerning form, fitness isn’t a worry as he started 19 Saudi Pro League matches throughout 2024/25. The Jamaican may need time to adapt to the intensity Davies demands but that’s the case with most new signings. This could be the perfect move for all parties.