Birmingham City face stumbling block in ambitious transfer raid for £40k-a-week star | OneFootball

Blues' are looking to add a number of high-profile stars to their squad this summer.

Birmingham City are facing a stumbling block as they plot an ambitious move to sign Benfica ace, Leandro Barreiro.

That is according to a fresh report from journalist Tom Collomosse - a Midlands expert at the Daily Mail - as Blues look to add several layers of further quality to an already highly-rated squad ahead of the forthcoming Championship campaign.

Chris Davies was heavily backed during his first summer window at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park, and there has already been plenty of evidence to back up a continuation of such a theme as Knighthead Capital Management hope to end the club's lengthy exile from the Premier League sooner rather than later.

Many have already predicted the Second City outfit to leave their mark on what is shaping up to be an ultra-competitive second tier this season, and whilst it may take an extraordinary set of circumstances to lure the 25-year-old away from the Portuguese giants, it is another reminder of the club's intent between now and Deadline Day on September 1st.

Birmingham City face stumbling block in audacious pursuit of Benfica's Leandro Barreiro

Collomosse's in-depth report regarding current developments in B9 referenced the imminent return of Demarai Gray to his hometown club, nine years after moving to Leicester City, as well as the equally audacious move for former Celtic cult hero, Kyogo Furuhashi.

Football League World also exclusively revealed on Wednesday evening that Blues are set to complete a loan move with a future option-to-buy for Wolverhampton Wanderers playmaker, Tommy Doyle, fending off well-documented interest from Premier League newcomers Sunderland and fellow League One promotion-winners, Wrexham, for the 23-year-old's services.

The aforementioned report then highlighted how Birmingham's ambition in the short-term doesn't stop there, having made contact with the Luxembourg international Barreiro, who made 46 appearances for Benfica in all competitions in 2024/25, and found the net on six occasions since joining on a free transfer from Bundesliga side FC Mainz last summer.

In a blow to the Championship side's plans, Barreiro has made it clear that he hopes to remain at the top level for as long as possible, having featured nine times for "Os Encarnados" in the UEFA Champions League last season, whilst also being a key member of the club's squad for the ongoing FIFA Club World Cup in the United States.

Barreiro featured in all three of Benfica's group stage outings against Boca Juniors, Auckland City and Bayern Munich, with both of his goals in the tournament thus far coming against the side from New Zealand, with a two-minute second-half brace coming in a 6-0 rout in Orlando.

Due to the midfielder's reputation, the club's ambition to even hold talks with the 63-cap international has been described as "impressive," having previously been on the radars of Everton, Nottingham Forest, Marseille and former Bundesliga champions, Bayer Leverkusen, prior to his move to the Estadio da Luz.

According to ESTIMATED figures from Capology - Barreiro is earning a weekly sum of €48,077 (£40,573) per week, which further highlights how ambitious this transfer raid would be for Birmingham.

Birmingham City supporters should be excited by Leandro Barreiro links despite player stance

Whilst it looks highly unlikely that Barreiro will move to the West Midlands at present, what such links do prove is the heightened ceiling of ambition under Wagner's ownership, something which Bluenoses could have only dreamt of under previous ownership groups.

Collomosse's report also backs up claims that Che Adams and Craig Dawson have been considered as potential recruits, which would add a wealth of top-flight experience.

However, with it looking likely that the aforementioned Doyle is set to make at least a temporary move from Molineux, it also shows that the Blues aren't standing still when it comes to conducting transfer business, actively pursuing an array of targets in different positions to add quality and quantity simultaneously.