Leeds United and Sheffield United fail with 'bids' for Birmingham City star

Birmingham reportedly rebuffed bids on deadline day from multiple Championship clubs for midfielder Paik Seung-ho.

Mike McGrath of The Telegraph reports Blues received offers earlier on in the day for the South Korea international but immediately rejected them. It’s claimed there had been serious interest from Leeds United and Sheffield United, suggesting the two Yorkshire clubs were among those that sent proposals.

Paik is a player understood to have been the subject of interest from teams in the second tier throughout the transfer window, but Birmingham have been determined to keep him at the club. The 27-year-old is seen as a vital player by new manager Chris Davies, who has guaranteed a spot in the starting XI for much of the season.

Signed on a free transfer in January following his departure from Jeonbuk Hyundai, Paik has racked up 23 appearances for Birmingham to date. The deep-lying playmaker, who has 15 caps for South Korea, was convinced by Blues’ exciting project under new ownership.

The promise of pushing for promotion to the Premier League in the coming years took a significant blow when Birmingham were relegated to League One in May, but this summer’s mega investment has reinforced Paik’s faith in the project.

Davies’ side are the clear favourites to win the English third tier title, let alone to gain automatic promotion back to the Championship. A whopping 15 signings have already been completed this summer, with two more set to be sealed before the 11pm deadline.