"Statement of intent" - Pundit reacts as Birmingham City plot Brighton transfer move | OneFootball

Reports have suggested that Birmingham City have entered talks over the possibility of signing Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Marc Leonard ahead of Championship clubs.

It is thought that a number of second tier sides, including Hull City, Plymouth Argyle, and Preston are all still said to hold an interest in signing Marc Leonard in the coming months, after another impressive loan with Northampton Town.

Brighton are apparently open to selling the 22-year-old this summer, as he enters the final 12 months of his contract at The AMEX Stadium. It has been suggested that the Premier League club could accept a fee in the region of £300,000 for his services.

Birmingham have recently appointed Spurs' assistant, Chris Davies, as head coach, and appear to be winning that race, as transfer guru Alan Nixon has exclusively revealed via his Patreon account that the West Midlands outfit have identified Seagulls midfielder Leonard as a key target.

Nixon states that Birmingham want to make the 22-year-old central midfield player their first signing of the summer, and have already begun talks about making those aims a distinct possibility. The report also goes on to reference that Leonard is unsurprisingly the subject of interest from clubs in the Championship, given his stellar performances across two years on loan with fellow League One outfit, Northampton Town.

Carlton Palmer's reaction to Marc Leonard links

Former England midfielder Carlton Palmer gave his thoughts on the possibility of Blues signing Leonard. Speaking exclusively to Football League World, he said: "Birmingham are said to be in the hunt to sign Marc Leonard.

"He has one year left on his deal at Brighton and is nowhere near getting near their first-team, so it's likely that he will leave the club.

"There are plenty of clubs still interested in the talented midfield player. He went out on loan to Northampton in 2022 and helped them win promotion from League Two, and then returned to Sixfields last season and adapted well to life in the league above. "He's a very good player at this level and this would be a statement of intent. Obviously, he will want to play at the highest level possible, and dropping down to League One would not be something he wants to do. "But you imagine Birmingham are going to be in prime position to get back to the Championship next season, and as we know, Leonard has excelled in League One before. "Of course, these other clubs are keen, but Leonard would not want to leave Brighton and not play regular first-team football, which is why he went out on loan as he did to Northampton. "Going to the likes of Birmingham to play regular first-team football would appeal to him, even though he would have to drop down a league below the Championship.

"It's certainly a statement of intent and will get Birmingham's supporters upbeat coming into the start of the new season."

With the club about to embark on an exciting new dawn in League One under Davies, signings like Leonard could get the ball rolling for Birmingham in what is set to be a hectic transfer window.

Birmingham's 2023/24 hopes

Despite suffering the heartbreak of relegation, Birmingham's recently published retained list showcases a squad that will be expected to challenge immediately for a first-time promotion, even though they could look set to lose one of their prized assets in Wales international, Jordan James

If Blues were able to make a sizeable profit on their academy graduate and acquire the services of another highly-regarded box-to-box midfielder for such a nominal price, it makes it a win-win situation for all involved, also allowing for significant investment across other areas of the squad.

An industrious central midfield player, and one who is several years the junior of many of Birmingham's midfielders of 2023/24, he may make sense as a long-term option for a Blues side looking to rebuild a whole team. Leonard has slowly risen up the divisions, and the obvious next step is the second tier, but he could easily be a vital part of what takes Birmingham there this coming season.