"£3-5 million" - Krystian Bielik price prediction made as Stoke City eye Birmingham City man | OneFootball

The Polish international has been linked with a move to Staffordshire this winter

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Stoke City are a side that have been linked with a number of new arrivals during the winter transfer window, with new boss Mark Robins looking to put his stamp on the team he inherited at the start of the year.

Having already brought in Ipswich Town striker Ali Al-Hamadi and Manchester City defender Josh Wilson-Esbrand, the Potters have also been named as potential destinations for Crystal Palace’s Jeffrey Schlupp as well as Bristol City utility man Mark Sykes.

Krystian Bielik is another man said to be on their radar right now, with the Birmingham City defender reportedly a target as Stoke look to strengthen their backline ahead of the second-half of the campaign.

The Pole has featured regularly for the Blues in the third tier so far this season, and the promotion-chasers will have a decision on their hands if the right offer comes their way, so we spoke to FLW’s Birmingham fan pundit Mike Gibbs about what he thinks his side should regarding the situation do before the February 3 deadline.

Birmingham City face Krystian Bielik decision in coming days

Injury permitting, Bielik has been a prominent feature across the second tier for large swathes of his career, with his time at St Andrew’s preceded by three seasons with Derby County in the Championship.

Therefore, it is no surprise to see the 27-year-old as a target for Stoke this winter, with his ability likely to see him slot straight into the Potters’ defence if needed, while also being able to drop into a defensive midfield role when required.

In terms of life in the Midlands, dislodging the current partnership of Ben Davies and Christoph Klarer has proven a tough challenge of late, with Bielik failing to start a league game since New Year’s Day, having been a regular in the backline across the festive period.

With Grant Hanley also in reserve and the impending transfer of Phil Neumann in the summer, Gibbs is in two minds regarding the Pole’s future at the club.

When asked about the Potters’ interest, the Blues fan said: “I think Bielik is a bit of an interesting one, because he has probably fallen down the pecking order now.

“I think Klarer and Davies seem to have it sewn up, and we have Neumann coming in over the summer as well, so you could argue that he is third or fourth choice then.

“I do like him though, he is definitely a good player, and I just think we need some cover, with just Grant Hanley as an option as well we would definitely need to bring someone in.

“I can’t see Chris Davies leaving us bare at the back with only three centre-halves, and we could potentially look at moving Neumann’s contract forward so he could join now rather than the summer, and that would be one way to cover the exposure of Bielik leaving.”

Krystian Bielik asking price set as Stoke City linger

After only signing a new three-year deal with Birmingham last summer, the Blues hold all the cards when it comes to the sale of Bielik this winter, with Stoke likely needing to stump up the cash if they are going to bring the Pole to the bet365 Stadium.

Having been a player that has commanded a transfer fee of more than £8 million during his career, Gibbs believes his side can recoup some serious funds if the defender does leave St Andrew’s in the coming days.

He continued: “When we are talking about a price, I think we paid about a million for him is my guess.

“He is a good age and on a good contract, I think it would be one of them where personally I would be looking at somewhere like £5 million; somewhere between £3-5 million would be good.”