Birmingham City: £5m-10m transfer claim made as Ipswich Town plot Jordan James swoop
This article is part of Football League World’s ‘Terrace Talk’ series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Birmingham City are preparing for life in League One after their relegation from the Championship last season, and they may have to do it without Jordan James as Ipswich Town lurk.
Blues will play in the third tier of English football for the first time in almost 30 years next season, but they will be hopeful of making an immediate return to the Championship.
It was claimed that the ambitious Birmingham board had given new manager Chris Davies a reported £20 million budget in transfer fees and wages, and they have certainly not been afraid to spend this summer, with Ryan Allsop, Bailey Peacock-Farrell, Alex Cochrane, Christoph Klarer, Willum Thor Willumsson, Marc Leonard, Emil Hansson and Alfie May all arriving at St. Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park, with presumably more to come.
As things stand, the Blues are yet to lose any of their stars, with midfielder Alex Pritchard, who struggled for game time after joining from Sunderland in January, the only player to be sold so far.
However, after an impressive campaign in the Championship last season, midfielder Jordan James is one player who could depart before the end of the transfer window, and he is attracting interest from elsewhere.
Jordan James transfer latest as Ipswich Town enter the fray
Italian side Atalanta made offers for James in January, but they could not agree terms with Birmingham, and they were not the only club interested in the midfielder, with Crystal Palace also reportedly making a bid.
Atalanta are said to retain an interest in James this summer, and a host of other teams have been linked with the Welsh international, including , West Ham United, Leicester City, Newcastle United, Brighton & Hove Albion, Brentford and Southampton.
But according to HITC, Ipswich Town are leading the race to sign James, and the newly-promoted Premier League side are believed to be “looking to try and broker a deal” for the 19-year-old to add to their other signings that plied their trade in the EFL last season, including Jacob Greaves and Liam Delap.
Birmingham City should hold out for £10m in any Jordan James deal amid Ipswich Town interest
FLW’s Birmingham City fan pundit Mike Gibbs says the Blues should demand between £5-10 million for James this summer, and while he has doubts about whether he is ready to play in the Premier League, he believes a move to Ipswich would be good for the midfielder.
“I think it would be a great move for him,” Mike told Football League World.
“Obviously they’ve gone on a meteoric rise in the last couple of years, but they’ve done it playing football the right way, so I think it’d be a great club and team for him to go into.
“I’m not quite sure he’s ready for Premier League football personality, but until you challenge yourself at that level, you can’t really say.
“What I would say is when he’s played for Wales on the international stage, he’s certainly stepped up and been one of their best players over the last 12 months.
“I wouldn’t put it past him, but personally I’m not quite sure he’s ready for the Premier League.
“The fee is a difficult one really, we’re in a relatively strong position in terms of his contract.
“I know there was a lot of talk in January about Atalanta coming in with a bid for him, and there were also comparisons at the time to Adam Wharton, but I don’t think he’s that type of player, I don’t think he’s on Adam Wharton’s level.
“I think anywhere between £5-10 million would be a great bit of business if I’m being brutally honest.”
