"A snip" - Birmingham City urged to secure £300k Brighton and Hove Albion deal | 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…

The transfer rumour mill is beginning to gain traction at Birmingham City, following last week's appointment of Chris Davies, who joined from Tottenham Hotspur.

The Blues are embarking on their first campaign at League One level since the 1994/95 campaign, having gone 29 years either as a Championship and, at times, Premier League side.

Tom Wagner fronts the club's ownership group, Knighthead, and has been joined by NFL superstar Tom Brady on the club's Board of Directors, with the American's never shying away from the ambitions they have for the long-suffering supporters.

Relegation from the Championship did nothing to deter those plans, with the expectation among outsiders that Birmingham will be the front-runner for a first-time promotion, which has only heightened given recent transfer rumours.

Birmingham City fan pundit views potential "snip" transfer for Brighton midfielder

One of those linked with a move to St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park in recent times has been Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder, Marc Leonard.

Unsurprisingly, given the form the midfielder showcased in the third tier whilst on a second successive loan stint with Northampton Town, clubs from higher divisions have also expressed their desire to acquire the 22-year-old central midfielder for a potential bargain price.

Therefore, our Birmingham City fan pundit, Mike Gibbs, believes that going in for Leonard would represent a fantastic piece of business for the newly-relegated side.

"I think Marc Leonard would be a fantastic signing," Gibbs told Football League World. "He's had two really good spells with Northampton and is thought of very highly."

"For £300,000, I think it would be a bit of a snip, to be brutally honest," he claimed.

"He's still young, he could absolutely grow with us. He plays the type of football that I think we would like to see."

Gibbs was then quick to reference the potential midfield departures in B9, echoing further why the acquisition of the Scotland youth international makes sense.

"Sunjic has moved on. The likelihood is that Jordan James, Krystian Bielik and Paik Seung-Ho will probably move on as well," he added.

"Whilst we're pretty well packed at the moment in midfield, give it a few weeks, and we could be very light, so I think it's imperative that we start to bring in reinforcements as well."

Further interest in Birmingham City's midfield target

As highlighted previously, Blues aren't the only side interested in striking a deal for Leonard in the upcoming transfer window.

It was exclusively revealed by Alan Nixon via his Patreon account that the Second City side were looking to make the midfielder their first signing of the summer, although they face competition from Championship sides and another ambitious League One outfit.

It was revealed in May that Sheffield United and Hull City had joined the race with Plymouth Argyle, Cardiff City and Preston North End in an ongoing transfer saga, although many of those sides were handed a boost when it was revealed by the Lancashire Post that North End were unable to meet Leonard's wage demands.

Furthermore, it was revealed by TEAMtalk that Wrexham had joined the race for Leonard, with the same report stating that the Seagulls could accept an offer as low as £300,000 as the seven-time Scotland Under-21 international has just a year left on his contract at the AMEX Stadium right now, with the option to extend by a further year.

Marc Leonard acquisition would be a statement of intent by Birmingham City

If Blues were able to strike a deal with the Premier League outfit, it would send a statement of intent to the rest of the division.

However, there is an argument that such signals have already been fired amid links to Burnley playmaker Scott Twine, with Birmingham said to be facing competition from Sunderland and Bristol City on that front.

Gibbs was right to reference the plethora of midfield options at Davies' disposal once pre-season gets underway, although it seems likely that the 19-year-old Wales international, Jordan James could depart, particularly given his nomination for the Championship's Young Player of the Season in a dismal and chaotic season for the club, amid strong continued interest from Serie A side, Atalanta.

Regardless of who stays and who comes into the building, the signing of Leonard for such a minimal price could prove to be a stroke of genius by Birmingham in the years to come, given his potential.