Birmingham City join Sheffield United in race to sign Leeds United player | OneFootball

Birmingham City have joined the race to sign Leeds United defender Luke Ayling, according to a report from The Sun.

Blues are currently battling relegation, but are ambitious under their owner Tom Wagner and will be hoping to remain afloat in the Championship, before securing a higher league finish at the end of the 2024/25 campaign.

At this stage though, they are currently in the relegation zone and will need to fight hard on the final day against Norwich City at home if they are to prevent themselves from being relegated to League One.

Unless Plymouth suffer a heavy defeat on the final day, only a win will guide Blues out of the drop zone on the final day, so there's a huge amount of pressure on this game against the Canaries.

But if they do manage to remain afloat in their current division, they could be set for an exciting future, with some talented players already in the squad and owner Wagner potentially set to reach into his pocket again this summer to ensure his team are as strong as possible.

Birmingham City eyeing Luke Ayling

One man who could be set to arrive this summer is Ayling, who is out of contract at Leeds this summer and looks set to leave Elland Road on the expiration of his deal.

Having been loaned out to Middlesbrough in January, it seems inevitable that Leeds boss Daniel Farke won't keep him at the club beyond the end of his contract.

That would give other sides the opportunity to get a deal over the line for the 32-year-old, who still has plenty to offer at this level.

The Sun believes Sheffield United are also keen on Ayling, so Birmingham look set to face a real battle to secure the signature of Ayling if they do stay up, with key recruitment figure Craig Gardner (pictured above) having a tough task on his hands.

Birmingham City may find it difficult to recruit Luke Ayling

Blues are an ambitious club and Wagner is seemingly a committed owner who will put up the funds needed to bring in some talented players.

With Ayling set to be a free agent, a move for him could be affordable, but there are a few barriers that could prevent the Midlands club from recruiting the 32-year-old.

Firstly, they are still in a relegation battle and if they go down, a move for the experienced defender would surely be out of reach.

Secondly, he isn't guaranteed to play every week with Ethan Laird at the club, so Ayling needs assurances about his game time before he potentially makes the switch to St Andrew's.

And finally, there's likely to be plenty of interest in the Leeds man this summer, so Blues will need to make an outstanding pitch to the player to give themselves a real chance of securing his signature.