Five players are already on track to leave Birmingham City in the summer transfer window.

Birmingham City are set for another important summer as they prepare to take on the Championship after a record-breaking League One title-winning campaign.

Chris Davies and his side will be eager to take the English second tier by storm as they seek to move closer to their ultimate goal of being promoted to the Premier League. To do that, more investment is likely as Davies aims to plug gaps - as crazy as that sounds after such an incredible season - in what can effectively become his Championship dream team.

It’s not just about the incomings, though, with big decisions to be made for players who could potentially leave. Several first-teamers are on track to depart at the end of their contracts on June 30, for instance, while there are a host of loanees set to return to their parent clubs unless Blues approach to sign them permanently.

Five players on track to leave Birmingham City

Two players see their contracts come to an end this summer, so, unless extensions can be agreed, they will be departing St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park for pastures new.

The pair in question are defensive duo Grant Hanley and Lee Myung-jae, both of whom were signed in January on six-month deals. Hanley has played 16 times but has only made three starts, whereas Myung-jae, a South Korea international, has only featured on two occasions.

There’s a chance Blues decide to open talks with Hanley and Myung-jae to keep them at the club, but it’s likelier they’ll move on. Birmingham will want good squad depth for the Championship, so they could be useful, but there will be alternatives already waiting on a shortlist.

Then there are the three loan players: Luke Harris, Ben Davies and Kieran Dowell. The trio will all depart on July 1 and not return unless Blues decide they want to proceed with efforts to extend their loans or purchase them for the long term. Alfons Sampsted, another loanee, is already joining due to an obligation to buy.

Harris is the least likely to come back to Birmingham as the Fulham man has played a utility role for much of the campaign, accumulating 1,504 minutes across 35 appearances. The 20-year-old certainly hasn’t been a bad addition, but it’s unlikely he’ll make the step up the divisions along with Blues.

Unlike Harris, it’s well within the realms of possibility that Dowell and Davies, worth around £3.5 million combined, could stay. Dowell, often used as an attacking midfielder or just off the right flank, has contributed five goals and five assists in 22 appearances since joining from Rangers in January. Davies, also from Rangers, has been a mainstay alongside Christoph Klarer in the central defence, playing 44 matches since the summer.

Birmingham World understands Dowell and Davies have been discussed by Blues as potential permanent additions. As they’re both from Rangers and the Scottish Premiership club weren’t overly keen on keeping them when they loaned them out, it could be fairly straightforward to strike a deal for both.