"£5m+ mark" - Claim made on Juninho Bacuna's future at Birmingham City | OneFootball

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…

Juninho Bacuna attracted transfer interest during the recent January market.

It was reported that the Birmingham City forward had interest from Turkish side Fenerbahce prior to their window closing at the start of February.

However, he has remained with the Blues beyond the deadline, and will be with the club until at least the end of the campaign.

However, he will go into this summer with just one year left on his contract with the Midlands outfit.

Birmingham.

FLW’s Birmingham fan pundit Mike Gibbs expects there to be further interest in the 26-year-old this summer, especially given his contract situation.

He believes that the Curacao international could be worth as much as £5 million, but that his expiring contract likely lowers his value closer to around £1 million.

“I think there will be some interest,” Gibbs told Football League World.

“There was some interest from Turkey just before the end of the window, but nothing seemed to come from it.

“He’s probably had his most productive season with us goals and assist-wise, he’s one of our most creative players.

“So, I probably would expect there to be interest in him.

“His value is a difficult one, because of that one-year left on his contract.

“He was supposed to renew his contract in the summer, add a couple of years.

“I think he’s of an age where he quite easily could be worth around the £5m+ mark.

“So, I think it’s all going to come down to contracts.

“He’s only got a year left, and he’s not willing to sign, if [Tony] Mowbray brings in other players.

“I’d be looking to recoup what we paid for him, which I believe is around about the £1 million mark.

“I think it’s all going to come down to that contract situation.

“For me, he’s such a talented footballer, but he’s so frustrating.

“When he’s on his game, he’s absolutely out of this world, but when he’s not on his game, he’s frustrating as hell.

“Sometimes tries too much, where a simple ball would’ve been better.

“Sometimes tries to be a little too cute, a little too clever when it’s not needed.”

Birmingham City league position

Bacuna has contributed five goals and five assists from 30 appearances in the Championship so far this term.

This has been his most prolific season for the Blues, with the team battling against relegation to League One.

Mowbray’s side currently sit 18th in the table, six points clear of the bottom three.

Next up for Birmingham is a home game against Mowbray’s former side Sunderland.

Keeping Bacuna beyond January was key

Birmingham faced a lot of interest in important players during the January window, but held onto the likes of Bacuna and Jordan James.

This was important business for the club’s relegation battle, and will help the team survive in the Championship.

However, they face difficult decisions in the summer regarding the future of these talents, and may find themselves cashing in.