Birmingham City aiming to seal late move for seven-cap international

Football League World

·31 January 2023

Birmingham City aiming to seal late move for seven-cap international

Birmingham City are aiming to seal a late move for Arminia Bielefeld defender George Bello, according to Football Insider.

It is understood that the Blues have made an approach to sign Bello on a permanent deal.

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Bello is also believed to be attracting interest from some other unnamed Championship sides.

Birmingham could potentially secure the services of the left-back if they match Arminia’s valuation of £1.5m.

Bello was part of the German’s outfit’s squad which suffered relegation from the Bundesliga last year.

After making 10 appearances for Arminia in the previous campaign, the 21-year-old has been utilised sparingly by the club during the current campaign.

Bello has only made three starts in the 2.Bundesliga this season and is currently acting as an understudy for Bastian Oczpipka.

Capped on seven occasions by the United States at international level, the defender may be tempted to make the move to St Andrew’s if he is given some assurance regarding game-time by Birmingham.

The Blues have already bolstered their defensive options this month by securing the services of Kevin Long on a permanent deal.

Birmingham also signed Reda Khadra on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion.

Both of these players are expected to feature for the club this evening when they take on Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup.

The Verdict

With time running out for clubs to complete deals, Birmingham will need to act quickly in order to have a chance of completing this particular deal.

Whereas it could take Bello some time to adapt to life in the Championship due to the fact that he has yet to feature in this division during his career, he has played at a higher level in the past and thus will be confident in his ability to deliver the goods in a Blues shirt.

Bello’s arrival at St Andrew’s may also force the likes of George Friend and Emmanuel Longelo, who have both been deployed in the left wing-back position this season, to step up their performance levels.

Given that the Blues are seemingly not the only team keeping tabs on the defender, there is a possibility that they could be drawn into a battle for his signature.