Bids expected - Birmingham City & Blackburn Rovers 'battling' to land €2.4m creator to kickstart summer spree

Birmingham City are reportedly interested in signing Reading FC midfielder Charlie Savage this summer but face competition from a host of Championship rivals.

Blues, despite their remarkable world record 111-point League One title victory last campaign, are likely to improve in most areas of the field as they target promotion to the Premier League. Midfield is an area manager Chris Davies will be keen to add depth and quality to with a few loanees heading back and others expected to leave, so it comes as no real surprise that Savage is being looked at.

The 22-year-old provided the second-most assists in League One last season with nine and scored five goals as Reading narrowly missed out on the play-off positions. It was a tricky time at the Select Leasing Car Stadium as the club was thrust into financial ruin and faced an uncertain future. That didn’t stop Savage from shining through, though, and now he could be rewarded with a rise in divisions.

Football Insider reports Birmingham, Blackburn Rovers, Portsmouth and Wrexham are all battling it out to sign Savage this summer. The two-time Wales international is also attracting interest from abroad and the Royals value him at around €2.4 million (£2m).

Formerly of Manchester United’s academy, Savage, the son of ex-Premier League footballer Robbie, played a pivotal role in Reading’s strong season just gone. The midfielder missed just one League One match as he featured in 45 of 46, while appearances in other competitions took his tally above 50 for the campaign.

In Birmingham’s case, such consistency and reliability may bring reminders of Marc Leonard as the former Brighton & Hove Albion man hardly missed a tick while on loan at Northampton Town in League One and League Two. Although Leonard hasn’t played much since signing for Blues and is now expected to leave on loan, he has remained a model professional throughout and Savage would likely showcase a similar attitude.

It may not be easy to convince Savage to leave Reading, however, as he seems pretty committed to the club he’s at. Just a few weeks ago, after his side’s final-day defeat to Barnsley, the Welshman told BBC Radio Berkshire: “I've got two more years here so you'll be seeing me next season.”

Sometimes those promises are kept and sometimes they’re not. In this situation, it’s got to be pretty tempting to have so many Championship clubs fighting for your signature. The potential rise in wages has got to play a part too, surely.

Birmingham won’t have all their eggs in the Savage basket, though, with director of football Craig Gardner working with Davies and the recruitment team to shortlist a host of targets. A long summer lies ahead and Blues will work hard throughout to ensure the squad is in the best place to be as competitive as possible next season.

And, with the club expected to be competing with the parachute payment teams in terms of revenue, making several big signings won’t be an issue financially.