Football League World
·12 July 2024
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·12 July 2024
Longelo looks to be closing in on a move to Oakwell after the two League One clubs agreed a fee.
A deal has just been agreed between two potential League One promotion competitors.
That's according to Sky Sports, who are reporting that Barnsley have had a bid accepted by Birmingham City for Emmanuel Longelo, who could now be set to make a move to Oakwell.
Blues are currently rebuilding their squad following their relegation from the Championship at the end of last term - and have made a fairly productive start to the window.
However, there's still plenty of work to be done in the transfer market, with quite a few first-teamers leaving the club in recent weeks and months.
Alex Pritchard has left the Midlands side permanently to make the move to Turkey, Neil Etheridge, Scott Hogan Marcel Oakley, Marc Roberts, John Ruddy and Ivan Sunjic have all departure following the expiration of their deals and Jay Stansfield, Emanuel Aiwu, Oliver Burke, Cody Drameh and Andre Dozzell have seen their loan stays at St Andrew's come to an end.
Not all of these players were able to make a positive contribution, with Burke one man who struggled during his time at Blues, but with the volume of departures in mind, there's a lot more work to be done to improve their depth ahead of their opening day clash against Reading.
According to Sky Sports, the Tykes have launched a successful bid for Longelo, who doesn't look set to be a regular starter at St Andrew's next term regardless of whether he stays or goes.
The outlet haven't specified the fee involved in this deal, but it's unlikely to be a high fee considering the player wasn't a hugely important figure for Blues last term.
Even without further additions, Longelo may not be a crucial player next term, with Lee Buchanan likely to be ahead of him in the pecking order.
A move down a division could have given him the opportunity to start regularly, but with Buchanan remaining at St Andrew's at this point and Chris Davies having a big budget, a move away for the ex-West Ham man seems inevitable.
This is a deal that could end up working out well for all parties.
Birmingham will have the chance to offload a player that Davies doesn't seemingly fancy - and that could give the Midlands club the room to bring in another addition or two.
For the player, he could have the opportunity to win much more game time in a new destination, and this fresh start is much-needed considering he hasn't been able to fully kick on at St Andrew's.
The Tykes should benefit from a player who has second-tier experience under his belt - and will be full of motivation to prove a point to Blues if he makes the switch to Oakwell.
With Nicky Cadden leaving, having another left-sided player who can contribute in the attacking third will be vital and Longelo could end up being a decent replacement.