Chris Davies is expected to land a major Birmingham City signing this week in a blow for Sunderland.

Birmingham City are now closing in on a romantic reunion with winger Demarai Gray, nine years after his departure.

Blues have been prioritising signing a new winger following the opening of the summer transfer window and Gray, who graduated Birmingham’s academy in 2014 before leaving for Leicester City in 2016, has been linked as a target. Now, following several weeks of talks, it appears the Jamaica international is indeed on his way back to Blues.

Give Me Sport reports Birmingham are now in advanced negotiations to sign Gray from Saudi Pro League club Al-Ettifaq. Speculation around a fortnight ago suggested Blues would have to pay around £8 million to acquire Gray’s services but Ettifaq have now agreed to let him go for free, with a 30 per cent sell-on clause included in the deal.

Newly-promoted Premier League side Sunderland have been credited with a strong interest in Gray but the forward is said to have rejected the Black Cats’ approach in favour of a move to St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park.

How has Demarai Gray fared in the last few years?

Now 28 years of age, 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.

Will Demarai Gray be a good signing for Birmingham City?

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.

Birmingham need a new left winger and Gray would surely be a significant upgrade on Emil Hansson, whom the jury is still out on. 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.

Even if Birmingham had to pay a small fee for Gray, he would still probably be worth the risk. The fact that Blues have managed to agree a free transfer is simply superb, especially as Ettifaq are making an £8 million loss to facilitate the move.