Birmingham City eye surprise bid for Golden Glove winner with Premier League pedigree in blow to Middlesbrough

Birmingham City are reportedly interested in signing a Premier League goalkeeper this summer to replace Ryan Allsop as the club’s number one.

Blues, world record holders after reaching 111 points in an extraordinary League One title-winning season, are now looking ahead to next campaign in the Championship. Chris Davies is eager to bolster his squad with even more talent than it already has, even improving in areas that have looked strong in the past 12 months.

Allsop, a boyhood Birmingham fan, recently won the League One Golden Glove award for keeping 21 clean sheets in 38 matches, two more than his closest challenger, Wrexham’s Arthur Okonkwo. It seems brutal to even consider replacing someone who has just proven his worth as much as Allsop has, but Birmingham are reportedly set to be ruthless.

EFL Analysis claims Blues are eager to bolster their goalkeeping ranks and have added AFC Bournemouth’s Mark Travers to a list of targets. The report states Travers is just one of many options Birmingham are considering as they aim to source a new option to compete with Allsop.

Travers has just finished up a half-season loan at Championship side Middlesbrough, who are keen on signing him permanently. It could be a tough choice for the player as he’s built up a strong rapport with the Boro faithful, but Blues would likely offer better wages – and perhaps better long-term ambitions.

It was a great decision to head out on loan to the Riverside Stadium as Travers started 17 Championship fixtures, gaining great match sharpness ahead of an important summer transfer window. Boro’s form did tail off towards the end of the campaign with just one win in their last six, but Travers was able to rack up four clean sheets in his 17 games, conceding 20 goals.

Four times a Republic of Ireland international, Travers clinched the 2021/22 Championship Golden Glove with Bournemouth as he kept 20 clean sheets in 45 appearances, helping his side earn promotion to the Premier League. Travers has Premier League pedigree, too, as he has played 24 times in the top flight, keeping six clean sheets.

It awaits to be seen just how much Bournemouth would want to sell Travers but it could be one of the final opportunities to bag a decent fee as his contract at the Vitality Stadium expires in two years. The 25-year-old’s current market value stands at around €4 million (£3.4m), as per Transfermarkt.

Birmingham could say farewell to 2024 summer signing

If Birmingham were to sign Travers, Bailey Peacock-Farrell’s days at St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park could be numbered. The Northern Ireland international has struggled since signing from Burnley last summer, making a host of high-profile errors.

Peacock-Farrell was first choice between the sticks at the start of the campaign but lost his place to Allsop after so many mistakes. He could stay as the number three behind Travers and Allsop, but he’s unlikely to be content with that as game time would be effectively non-existent.

Read on: Five players are on track to leave Birmingham this summer - including £3.5 million duo.