Birmingham City latest: Ike Ugbo race, Cardiff City player on the radar, pursuit of Celtic man hits new hurdles | OneFootball

FLW rounds up the latest headlines involving Birmingham City ahead of a big League One campaign.

Birmingham City are looking for an immediate return to the Championship.

The Blues endured a dreadful 2023/24 campaign, as they managed just 13 wins all season and subsequently suffered relegation to League One for the first time in three decades.

In June, Birmingham announced 39-year-old Chris Davies as their new manager following the departure of Tony Mowbray. Davies has been a well-known coach under Brendan Rogers at several clubs, and was most recently assistant to Ange Postecoglou at Spurs, but is now ready to take on his first-ever managerial role in the EFL.

It has already been a busy summer for Birmingham and Davies as multiple players have been brought in or let go. It is vital that the Blues get their summer business right, as anything less than promotion next season will probably be considered a failure.

They recently spent a seven-figure fee on full-back Alex Cochrane, but their business has not stopped there. Today, Football League World looks at all the latest headlines revolving around Birmingham at this moment in time.

Birmingham enter the race for Ike Ugbo

Ike Ugbo was hugely impressive last season while on loan at Sheffield Wednesday, and while the Owls are attempting to bring him back on a permanent basis, Birmingham City are said to have registered an interest.

The 25-year-old scored an impressive seven goals in 17 league starts for a struggling Sheffield Wednesday side last season, which ultimately helped them stay in the Championship, so it is no surprise that the club are prioritising his return this summer.

While Hillsborough would seem to be Ugbo's most likely destination, the Owls have reportedly had an opening bid rejected by his club, Troyes.

According to the Sheffield Star, Birmingham and Stoke City have both registered an interest in the player, which has put the pressure on Sheffield Wednesday to get a deal done.

Ugbo seems an incredibly ambitious move for the League One Blues, but they clearly have the money to spend if they wish to outbid the Owls.

Birmingham register an interest in Cardiff City's Andy Rinomhota

As Chris Davies looks to build a squad capable of an immediate automatic promotion from League One, it has been reported by journalist, Darren Witcoop, that Birmingham are one of the clubs keen on securing a deal for Cardiff City midfielder, Andy Rinomhota.

The 27-year-old has seemingly fallen out of favour at Cardiff as he made just one start for them last season, and spent the second half of it on loan at Rotherham United.

Rinomhota would be a great pick-up for any League One club as he has spent the entirety of his professional career in the Championship, so he would arrive with plenty of quality and experience.

It would be a move that suits all parties as Cardiff are able to let go of some dead wood and the Blues pick up an experienced defensive midfielder.

Bosun Lawal is a name that has been heavily linked with Birmingham for the last week or two, but it appears that they will be facing tough competition for his signature.

As per Football Insider, both Bournemouth and Stoke City have made moves for Lawal, who is also being tracked by Austrian side RB Salzburg.

The 21-year-old would be a fantastic signing for Birmingham after he impressed in his loan spell with Fleetwood in League One last season. Lawal is very versatile in defence and can play anywhere across the back line, but was actually used as a holding midfielder for the second half of the season.

He scored six goals and assisted two in a rather poor Fleetwood side last season, and is now set for a big move this summer. While the Blues would love to call him their player, Lawal may be tempted by a move to the Championship or the Premier League, which would make Birmingham's task quite a difficult one.