Birmingham, Crystal Palace and Blackburn all in race for playmaker | OneFootball

Birmingham City are set to battle Blackburn Rovers and Crystal Palace over the signature of 19-year-old non-league playmaker Owen Humpries, according to Bristol World.

In December, the teenager left Mangotsfield United to join Larkhall Athletic in the Southern League Division One South – the eighth tier of the English football pyramid – but it seems a move to a professional club may not be far away.

Bristol World has reported that Humpries has spent time on loan with League One side Sheffield Wednesday and Championship club Birmingham recently, with the Blues said to be pushing to sign him after he impressed for their U23s.

However, they aren’t the only club keen. The attacking midfielder is understood to be weighing up his options with interest from both second-tier high flyers Blackburn and Premier League side Palace.

Despite growing up and learning his trade in the South West, the report claims that neither Bristol City or Bristol Rovers are interested at this time.

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The Verdict

It seems it could just be a matter of time before Humpries moves to a professional club, with Birmingham, Blackburn, and Palace all keen on him.

You can understand why as his game has reportedly been likened to Marco Veratti and his statistics this term – seven goals and nine assists in 16 games – are eye-catching.

Blackburn and Palace stand out as obviously destinations for Humpries given the success we’ve seen young attacking players have at the clubs in recent years.

However, the Blues appear to be the keenest to get a deal done and may offer him a better chance of playing first-team football given they’ve got the weakest squad right now.