Birmingham City’s promotion rivals agree club-record £2m transfer as Man Utd loanee poised for debut against Blues

Birmingham City will aim to extend their lead at the top of the League One table when they play host to Rotherham United this weekend.

The Blues are top of the table - two points clear of second places Wycombe - and a resounding eight points clear of third placed Wrexham with two games in hand. They are unbeaten in their last 12 league matches and are through to the fourth round of the FA Cup and quarter-finals of the EFL Trophy.

The West Midlands side strengthened their team in January with the signings of Kieran Dowell, Grant Hanley and Phil Neumann and could still squeeze more deals over the line in the final days of the window.

But what are the rest of their League One rivals up to? Here we take a look at the latest transfer headlines as Wrexham break their club record transfer and Rotherham prepare to introduce an England Under-20 international to their group.

Wrexham agree club-record deal for Reading striker

League One promotion hopefuls Wrexham have boosted their hopes of achieving a third consecutive promotion by agreeing a £2m fee for Reading striker Sam Smith.

TalkSport understands the Red Dragons beat competition from various Championship and European clubs to secure the signature of the 26-year-old forward, who has scored 11 goals in 25 league matches this term for the Royals.

The £2m fee for Smith marks the first time Wrexham have ever paid seven figures for a player. Young forward Mo Faal is Wrexham's record signing at present having joined last summer from West Brom for £500,000 in the final days of the window, but the Gambian has struggled for form and has failed to score in seven league appearances this term.

Wrexham are eight points behind Birmingham in the title race and are six points adrift of Wycombe in the automatic promotion hunt.

New Rotherham recruit set for Birmingham City debut

Manchester United youngster Dan Gore has joined League One club Rotherham United on loan, until the end of the 2024/25 season. It’s a second senior loan spell for the 20-year-old, who played just once for Port Vale in the same division last term.

Gore is an England Under-20 international midfielder and a member of the Red Devils academy since 2018, he was notably part of the 2022 FA Youth Cup-winning side, playing the full 90 minutes of the final victory over Nottingham Forest, alongside Kobbie Mainoo in midfield.

Gore made his Reds first-team debut in September 2023, appearing as a substitute against Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup and appeared in the Premier League against Aston Villa in a 3-2 win on Boxing Day 2023.

Evans told the Rotherham Advertiser: “I had about an hour's Zoom call with the boy this morning. He seems very keen. We're literally sitting and waiting to see if it's a tick in the box.”

The youngster is expected to be in the squad to face Birmingham at the weekend in another important match-up at St Andrews.