The truth behind Birmingham City move to sign Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain | OneFootball

The Blues have been linked with the former Arsenal and Liverpool man

Birmingham City have been linked with an eye-catching move for former Arsenal and Liverpool man Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

The interest was first reported by the Mirror, declaring that the former England international was interested in a return to home soil.

The Blues have already landed substantial deals for the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi and Demarai Gray, plus loan signings of top talents like Tommy Doyle and Eiran Cashin from Wolverhampton Wanderers and Brighton & Hove Albion, respectively.

But a move for Oxlade-Chamberlain would undoubtedly come as their most high-profile move of the window, and there is a new update on the progress of the deal.

Status of Birmingham City’s interest in Oxlade-Chamberlain

According to a fresh report from The Athletic’s Gregg Evans, Birmingham are yet to make a formal approach for the 32-year-old.

The journalist goes on to report that the midfielder, who has also operated as a winger in his career, is in discussions with current club, Besiktas, about terminating his current deal, which is set to run for another year.

Evans confirms that Birmingham are one of the clubs that have asked about his situation, but the talks have gone no further at this stage, with multiple clubs in the Premier League and Championship thought to be interested.

The hunt for a new club comes as Oxlade-Chamberlain is keen to leave Turkey and pick his career back up in the UK.

How Birmingham City can meet Oxlade-Chamberlain’s wage demands

With 35 senior caps to his name for England and 235 Premier League outings on his CV, Oxlade-Chamberlain can justifiably demand a hefty pay packet.

According to estimates from Capology, the Englishman commands a wage of £69,140 per week, making him the Turkish side’s joint-fourth highest-paid player.

For context, that’s almost triple Birmingham’s current top earner, which Capology estimates is current Blackpool loanee Bailey Peacock-Farrell on £25k a week.

Thankfully, Evans confirms that Oxlade-Chamberlain is prepared to take a pay cut to help get his next move confirmed.

The former Liverpool man could be a shrewd investment for Birmingham

As previously mentioned, Oxlade-Chamberlain would bring with him a wealth of experience not only in the Premier League, but also the Champions League and on the international stage.

The Blues have plenty of talented players in their ranks, but nobody with that level of experience to call upon; landing a signing of such note should boost the entire dressing room, with manager Chris Davies making no secret of the fact they are targeting Premier League football.

To get there, it certainly won’t do any harm to have figures in the building who have been there, like Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Not only that, but he’s also adaptable, having split his career across spells on both wings as well as in the centre of the park, so will give Davies more rotation and tactical options.

And most importantly, the initial outlay of the deal should be reduced by the termination of his current deal, negating the need for a transfer fee, as Besiktas look to get his wages off the books.