Birmingham City set to take action as Swansea City & Blackburn Rovers circle | OneFootball

Dembele has been attracting interest but Blues want to keep him at the club

Birmingham City are planning to offer a new contract to winger Siriki Dembele amid reported transfer interest from the likes of Swansea City and Blackburn Rovers.

That is according to transfer journalist Alan Nixon, who states that Blues are ready to put a new deal down on the table as they do not want to lose him before the transfer window closes.

Dembele's current Birmingham deal runs until 2026, so while any fresh terms may add another year or two to his existing deal, it would likely be to offer him a pay increase as they look to rival any offers that could come his way this month.

The 27-year-old joined the Blues last July on a three-year deal from Bournemouth, after 18 months with the Cherries in which he helped the club win promotion to the Premier League as runners-up in 2021/22.

He was largely inconsistent in a dismal season for Birmingham as they were relegated from the Championship in 2023/24, and it looks as if he has a battle on his hands to earn consistent opportunities under new boss Chris Davies in League One, after he started from the off in the season's opener against Reading yesterday, but was substituted at half-time for new signing Emil Hansson.

With that said, the club seemingly want to keep him around for the season as they look to bounce back to the second-tier at the first time of asking under Davies.

Siriki Dembele transfer latest as Blackburn Rovers and Swansea City show interest

Dembele has understandably been the subject of transfer interest this summer, given Birmingham's third-tier status and his previous pedigree of playing in the Premier League with Bournemouth.

Journalist Darren Witcoop has previously reported that the 27-year-old has been the subject of enquiries from five Championship clubs, with Blackburn Rovers and Swansea City among those named that have allegedly been in contact with Blues ahead of a potential departure this summer.

Witcoop also added that Birmingham rate Dembele at around £1.5 million, which is a fair price given his talents, but are keen on keeping him around amid second-tier interest.

Alan Nixon has since reported that Blackburn have moved their attention to Japanese attacker Ryo Germain as an alternative to Dembele, despite Birmingham apparently being open to a potential swap deal with a Rovers player for the 27-year-old, but also not wanting to allow him to leave if a swap is not possible.

Nixon has now reiterated those claims, and Blues look set to take action by offering the Ivorian new terms in an attempt to retain his services beyond this summer.

Dembele arrived at St Andrew's amid a raft of new signings from Bournemouth last summer, and impressed in the early stages of the campaign, but fell victim to managerial changes and decisions and ended the season out of favour under interim boss Gary Rowett as Birmingham failed to avoid the drop.

He still managed to register six goals and one assist in 33 league appearances in his debut season in B9, a healthy return given his game time and the club's poor season, but he will be hoping for a fresh lease of life back in the third-tier under new boss Davies.

The Ivorian has previously shown his worth in the third-tier in his time at Peterborough United and will hope to draw inspiration from that period this season if he is to sign an improved deal.

He spent four seasons at the Weston Homes Stadium and became one of Posh's most important players in the 2020/21 season as he registered 12 goals and 12 assists each in 45 games in all competitions under Darren Ferguson and helped fire the club to promotion to the Championship.

His strong early season 2021/22 Championship form saw multiple clubs chasing his signature in the January window, and he went on to sign for Bournemouth, where he earned another promotion, this time to the top-flight, and then featured six times in the Premier League for the Cherries in 2022/23.

That sort of experience and pedigree is rare in this Birmingham squad, despite their frivolous transfer window, and League One as a whole, but Dembele has to make it work to his advantage this season, rather than be irked if he is not given an automatic starting berth or substituted off early like against Reading.

There is no doubting his talents, especially in the third tier, but if he is to sign a new deal, he needs to put in some strong performances over the coming weeks to be considered as one of Birmingham's most important players, and also be shown some tough love by Davies as he looks to get the best out of one of his top attackers in a bid to seal an immediate return to the Championship in 2024/25.