Birmingham City face new threat in race to sign Marvin Ducksch | OneFootball

The Blues want to sign the German striker from Werder Bremen.

Birmingham City are facing new threats in their pursuit of Werder Bremen striker Marvin Ducksch.

The Blues have been targeting a deal for the German international this month, as Chris Davies shapes his striking department ahead of the 2025/26 Championship season.

Football League World exclusively revealed that Birmingham were close to finalising a deal to sign Ducksch last week, but it now appears as though the target man is also attracting interest from another club.

GiveMeSport have reported that Birmingham are being forced to play the waiting game, as Ducksch's departure depends on Werder Bremen completing some transfer business of their own first.

Chris Davies will be hoping that he can land the experienced centre-forward, who has two caps for his country, as he would provide another excellent option up front, alongside the likes of Jay Stansfield and Kyogo Furuhashi.

Birmingham face new threat from PAOK in race for Marvin Ducksch

While it seemed as though the Blues were close to completing a deal to bring Ducksch to St Andrew's, the move is now under threat for two reasons.

Firstly, Werder Bremen want to strengthen their own frontline this summer, and they are not willing to allow Ducksch to leave the club before they have signed a striker themselves.

Ducksch scored eight goals and provided nine assists in the Bundesliga last season, so the German side do not want to risk losing the goals he can deliver without having a suitable replacement lined up.

Secondly, Birmingham are said to be facing competition for Ducksch's signature, amid their potential deal taking longer than expected, with Greek side PAOK now rivalling the Blues in the race for the 31-year-old.

It is understood that Birmingham remain quietly confident that they will get a deal for Ducksch over the line, but amid rival interest from PAOK and with Werder Bremen needing to sign a striker before anything can be finalised, the Blues are facing new threats in the transfer window.

Ducksch would be a great addition for Birmingham City

Birmingham already have some real firepower in their striking department ahead of next season, and the addition of Ducksch would only bolster their squad further.

The Blues made it clear that they wanted to strengthen up front after winning the League One title in style last season, with the sale of Alfie May to Huddersfield Town for £1.2 million showing that there would be no sentimentality as they carried out their transfer business this summer.

Jay Stansfield proved himself at Championship level previously during his loan spell at St Andrew's, scoring 12 goals in the second tier over the course of the 2023/24 campaign, while Japan international Kyogo Furuhashi, who joined the club from Stade Rennais this summer, could be a really exciting player in this division.

Ducksch could be seen as a replacement for Scottish target man Lyndon Dykes, and if the German is brought to St Andrew's, Chris Davies will have a well-rounded group of quality attackers to choose from against Ipswich Town on the opening day of the season.

As long as Werder Bremen sign a striker sooner rather than later, and assuming they are not beaten to his signature by PAOK, Birmingham will hope to bring the German to St Andrew's ahead of next season.