Birmingham City may face too many hurdles in quest to sign Leeds United player: View | OneFootball

Birmingham City have joined the race to secure a deal for Leeds United full-back Luke Ayling.

That's according to The Sun, who have also reported Sheffield United's interest in the 32-year-old.

The defender is currently out on loan at Middlesbrough, having been deemed surplus to requirements under Leeds boss Daniel Farke, who has preferred to play the likes of Archie Gray and January loanee addition Connor Roberts at right-back.

Ayling has been brilliant for the Whites during his time at Elland Road, but all good things come to an end and with Gray's emergence, that has pushed the 32-year-old to the exit door.

With his contract expiring this summer, it has been confirmed Ayling is moving on, and he will be available as a free agent and that will interest many sides.

The defender may be getting older, but he could be a very useful addition at this level, especially for a Birmingham side that has struggled in the Championship for a number of years now.

He could be an excellent addition for whoever is in charge next season, whether that be Tony Mowbray or someone else, but a few hurdles could make a deal for the experienced defender impossible.

Luke Ayling's potential demands could make a Birmingham City deal tough to agree

Ayling could have two key demands if or when he enters negotiations with other clubs.

Firstly, he will want a fairly decent wage, having probably been on a sizeable pay packet at Elland Road.

Although he's coming to the end of his career, he's still a valuable first-teamer to have at this level and will feel as though he deserves to be on a decent salary still, so Birmingham would need to match his demands.

However, with the Blades also in the race and likely to have a decent amount to spend on wages following their time in the Premier League, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Chris Wilder's side come out on top in this race.

This is why his wage demands could be tricky to deal with for Blues - and the player will also want to secure as much game time as possible.

At 32, he could easily sit on the bench somewhere, but the defender showed his passion for playing by making the temporary move to Michael Carrick's Boro in January.

This shows he wants to be starting most weeks - and Birmingham may not be able to offer him regular starts - even with loanee Cody Drameh potentially set to return to Leeds at the end of this term.

This is because Ethan Laird is likely to remain with the club beyond the end of this summer, having signed permanently for Birmingham last summer.

Birmingham City's league position

The one thing that could kill any chance of Birmingham signing Ayling is relegation.

The 32-year-old has shown that he is more than capable of competing in the second tier and, although Blues are a big club, he won't want to be playing League One football.

But if he joins Birmingham in the summer, there's a chance he could be playing in the third tier, with Gary Rowett's side potentially needing a win against Norwich City on the final day to give themselves a chance to secure survival, with their goal difference in mind.

Whether Birmingham will be 'Rowett's side' after the final day is an issue in itself - and the managerial situation will need to be sorted out quickly to give themselves the best chance of recruiting Ayling.

Hopefully, Tony Mowbray is well enough to return to the dugout. His health must come first.

In terms of whether Ayling can be persuaded to join, the fact Blues have finished in the bottom half of the second tier for many years may mean St Andrew's won't be an attractive destination for him, even if they remain in their current division.

Birmingham could enjoy a bright future under owner Tom Wagner, who is ambitious and clearly passionate, but persuading players to come to the Midlands in the short term could be a difficult task.