How much Birmingham City or Ipswich Town may need to pay Chuba Akpom in wages | OneFootball

The 29-year-old has been touted for a move back to the Championship, two years after departing Middlesbrough

The 2022/23 Championship top scorer may be on his way back to the English second tier, as a plethora of sides are interested in signing Chuba Akpom.

The 29-year-old looked to be heading to Championship new boys, Birmingham City, with a loan deal which included a mandatory £7 million fee if the Blues were promoted, seemingly agreed, and a medical booked for August 4th.

However, the saga has seen plenty of twists and turns, as Kieran McKenna's Ipswich Town side have seemingly tried to hijack the deal, with Akpom's former side, Middlesbrough, and Olympiakos also interested in bringing the frontman to their clubs.

Dharmesh Sheth reported that if Ajax complete a deal with more than one club, it will be up to Akpom himself to decide where he plays for the 2025/26 season, and that could possibly come down to which side is willing to offer him the most per week.

How much Chuba Akpom earns at Ajax - he'd be angling for a pay rise in the Championship

Akpom would undoubtedly be a solid signing at the level, having scored a league-best 28 goals in 38 games during the last season he spent in the Championship in 2022/23.

That season earned him a move to Dutch giants Ajax. The deal was worth up to €14.3 million, and he signed a five-year contract there, which is set to run out at the end of the 2027/28 season.

According to Capology's estimates, the contract sees him earn a steady £27,813 per week during each of the five years he is under contract at Ajax, which was a moderate increase from the £22,500 he earned at Middlesbrough before the move.

Capology estimates that, currently, 53 players earn more than £27,813 in the English second tier ahead of this weekend's league opener, so you'd expect that Akpom would back himself to fit into the upper bracket of wages in the division, given his previous history at the level.

Both Ipswich and Birmingham have shown that they have plenty of money to offer players this summer, and both sides will also be offering promises of imminent Premier League football.

So it could all come down to where either side values the 29-year-old in terms of how much they'd be willing to pay him per week.

Signing Chuba Akpom on big wages could be a risk for Ipswich Town or Birmingham City

Whilst his 28-goal campaign will ring in the minds of many Championship supporters, Ipswich and Birmingham should be wary of Akpom not being able to replicate that level in front of goal in 2025/26.

Akpom's 2022/23 season was impressive, but question marks will arise whether this is an anomaly, as his scoring tallies both before and after that season have been solid, but not remarkable.

The term before his explosion in front of goal was spent on loan at PAOK in Greece, as Neil Warnock deemed him not good enough to be a part of his Boro side following a campaign where he netted just five times in 38 appearances.

Last season, across both Ajax and his second-half loan spell at Lille, Akpom scored six times in 30 league games, and whilst you'd argue that the level is higher than the Championship, it's still not an impressive goal return.

So, perhaps both sides could be a little cautious about overpaying for the 29-year-old, but if he can return to his previous excellence in front of goal, then the risk will be worth the reward.