An agreement to bring Jay Stansfield back to Birmingham City is not close, with the Blues hoping to secure a permanent deal, according to journalist Darren Witcoop.
Rumours had started to circulate over the weekend that the League One newcomers had reignited their interest. This followed news that a host of Championship clubs were keen on the striker, who scored 13 goals in all competitions for Birmingham last season.
Parent club Fulham have made no secret how highly they rate the 21-year-old. Manager Marco Silva confirmed in May that Stansfield would remain at Craven Cottage next season after successful loan spells in League One and the Championship:
“He’s going to be back with us”, Silva told The Standard. “Everything we planned, apart from the collective goal of Birmingham which was not what we wanted, was a box (ticked).
“He played the season before in League One (with Exeter City), and to be able to give a step forward in the Championship and be an important piece in the attack-line and score important goals (was pleasing). Jay achieved all the important things.
“Now is the moment for him to come back and be one of the players in our attacking line for next season.”
Football Insider broke the news this morning that Birmingham had entered into talks with Fulham over a potential £6 million deal. This was confirmed by Witcoop shortly after.
With Premier League football seemingly on the horizon for the England under-21 international, a drop back down to League One does seem a bit nonsensical. However, when asked about how likely a deal is, the journalist stated that it isn’t something the player wanted to do, but ‘money talks’.
Didn’t want to drop to L1 but money talks
— Darren Witcoop (@DarrenOWitcoop) July 22, 2024
A number of Championship clubs are also said to be in the running. The forward has previously been linked with Sunderland, who are said to be in the market for a striker. Queens Park Rangers also expressed an interest last summer prior to his move to Birmingham.
Writer’s View
Birmingham are absolutely desperate to blow the rest of the competition away in League One. They are really showing their financial clout, having already spent over £10 million this summer.
Signing Stansfield would be a real signal of intent and would surely be the final piece of the jigsaw for manager Chris Davies. Convincing the player to give up an opportunity of Premier League football for the third tier would be a staggering achievement. Although he’s only 21, you’d really have to question his ambition if he does move back to St Andrew’s on a permanent basis.
Head of Writing
