Birmingham City are willing to sell midfielder Jordan James, with the view to then sign long-term transfer target, Jay Stansfield from Fulham.
James has attracted plenty of interest from several European clubs this summer. Rennes are seemingly edging closer to securing the Welsh midfielder, after the Ligue 1 side made a reported £8 million bid. Serie A outfit Atalanta previously had a £4 million bid rejected by Birmingham in the winter window.
The 20-year-old rose through the Birmingham academy before making his first-team debut in the 2021/22 season. James has since made over 100 appearances for the Blues and scored 10 goals, per Transfermarkt.
Recent reports from the Mirror suggest that the League One outfit are now ready to sell Jones to one his European suitors. Ultimately, the Midlands club will then utilise any money gained from the sale to pursue Stansfield permanently from Fulham.
The young midfielder spent last season on loan at St Andrews. He was one of the best performing players in Birmingham’s squad, despite their relegation to League One, and won five end of season awards for his performances in the 2023/24 season.
Stansfield scored 12 goals and made two assists in 43 appearances last season. In addition, the 21-year-old has League One pedigree, with 36 appearances and 16 goal contributions for Exeter in the 2022/23 season, as recorded by Transfermarkt.
The highly-rated midfielder would be another Birmingham signing in a particularly busy summer. Under new manager Chris Davies, the recently relegated team have made nine signings, including former Charlton striker Alfie May and £4 million midfielder Willum Thór Willumsson.
Writer’s View
On many levels, Birmingham’s move to cash in on James appears the right one. The club need to balance their transfer spend from a very active summer somewhere, and selling the sought-after midfielder appears the sensible financial choice.
Then, utilising the money to bring in Stansfield would be clever. The 21-year-old is familiar with the club, a fan favourite and has proven ability to perform at League One level. However, the only stumbling block in this multi-levelled plan will be Fulham’s asking price for Stansfield and whether Birmingham can negotiate a decent transfer fee, without using all of the money acquired from James’ sale.
Be the first to comment