"My goal" - Phil Neumann reveals ambitions amid Birmingham City January talk | OneFootball

The German defender was one of the few players that the Blues failed to sign in the summer.

Birmingham City transfer target Phil Neumann has said that his goal in football was always to play in England amid reports that the League One side are looking to make a move for him in the January window.

It was rare to see Chris Davies' Blues miss out on a transfer target this summer. Their overwhelming financial dominance made them a very attractive option for players from far and wide, but there was one club that resisted the temptation of the millions being offered by Birmingham.

One of their key summer acquisitions was Christoph Klarer, who they bought from German second-tier side SV Darmstadt for a reported fee of €3 million (~ £2.5 million).

The Austrian defender has been immense since arriving at St Andrew's, helping them get off to a very strong start in their first season back in League One, but he wasn't the only defensive target from the German leagues that City were scouting.

Neumann, a 27-year-old Hannover 96 centre-back, was the subject of a reported €4 million (~ £3.3 million) bid from Birmingham, according to Florian Plettenberg. Nothing ever came of the offer, but the German has not left City's sights.

They are now reported to be considering a return offer for the player, whose contract is set to expire at the end of this season. Football Insider have said that the Blues are preparing an "improved bid" to try and secure Neumann's services in January.

Phil Neumann reveals football aspirations amid Birmingham interest

According to German outlet Neu Presse, Hannover are resigned to the fact that they are going to lose the defender for nothing next summer. However, they may be thrown a financial life ring by Birmingham if they present this improved offer that they are said to be preparing.

A move to England would bring an improved salary for Neumann, who is on €45,000 per month. Neu Presse say that Birmingham would be willing to give him a seven-figure net salary.

The 27-year-old has recently said that having a family to think about does make him consider the financial aspects more, but it is not the only thing that he is bothered about. He said that he wants to achieve things in the sport, potentially in England.

"Playing in England was always my goal," said Neumann to Neu Presse, via Birmingham Live. "When you have a family, you naturally look further into the future and of course, contract negotiations also involve financial aspects, but it's about much more than that - in the end, it's a total package.

"Accordingly, I wouldn't go to Saudi Arabia because that's where the most money is. I do have the ambition to get the best possible results in football as well."

Phil Neumann is not an essential purchase for Birmingham

We get it, right; City have a lot of money that they can spend and they are going to do it regardless of how sometimes shocking the number is, like when they bought Jay Stansfield for £15 million.

Finances aren't an issue for this club anymore, but, at the same time, does that mean that they should go out and buy absolutely everything they fancy? No.

Because of Neumann's contract situation, Birmingham can try to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with the defender from January onwards.

If they were successful and got him to agree to a pre-contract deal, then they could head into the summer knowing that he was joining them as soon as he left Hannover, and they wouldn't have to spend more than the original £3.3 million that they supposedly offered the German side in the summer.

He does look to be quite a capable and defensively strong centre-back. He is the premier central defender for the 2. Bundesliga leaders. There just looks to be a smarter way of going about this. They don't need to use all of their financial might, just some of it.