Birmingham City midfielder Juninho Bacuna is set to join Turkish Süper Lig side Sivasspor, according to journalist Darren Witcoop on Twitter (X).
It is reported that the two sides have agreed on a deal for the 26-year-old, and Bacuna is now holding talks over personal terms to complete his transfer away from the now-League One club, according to Birmingham Live. Bacuna will join another ex-blue in the form Alex Prichard, who also joined the Turkish side for an undisclosed fee earlier this week.
Bacuna started his career at Dutch side FC Groningen, before moving to then Premier League side Huddersfield Town in 2018. Despite the Terrier’s relegation, the 26-year-old stayed another two years, making over 100 appearances in all competitions in the process. A Scottish adventure then came calling, but Bacuna only stayed at Rangers for six months with the Curacao international then joining Birmingham for an undisclosed fee in January 2022. Since then, Bacuna has made 105 Championship appearances for the Blues, scoring 13 times.
It doesn’t however come as a surprise to see the midfielder moving on to pastures new this summer following their relegation to England’s third tier. With just a year left on his contract with the club, it’s a good time to get a fee for the player, who is simply too good to be playing in England’s third tier. His sale will almost certainly help their transfer funds, especially given the fact that the club have not been afraid to get their money out so far this window.
Bacuna will be the 13th player to leave St Andrew’s after relegation to the third tier. The Blues have been active so far in the transfer window, with the likes of last season’s League One top scorer Alfie May, goalkeepers Bailey Peacock-Farrell and Ryan Allsopp as well as exciting Swedish winger Emil Hanson all joining the Blues this summer as they look for an immediate return to the Championship.
Writer’s View
Losing a versatile player like Bacuna could cause a problem for Chris Davies as he looks to guide Birmingham back up to the Championship at the first time of asking. It is no secret that the Blues have a massive transfer budget for League One level, but losing key players is never an easy challenge to overcome.
Birmingham have got to get their recruitment spot on this summer if they want to replace Bacuna and the other key players in the squad that have now departed as a result of relegation. The Blues have certainly splashed the cash already, and it’ll be nothing short of a financial mishap and perhaps crisis if they do not get promoted this season.
