Birmingham City transfer news: Phil Neumann, Jobe Bellingham windfall, Lennard Maloney link | OneFootball

We round up some of this week's transfer headlines involving Chris Davies' side, with no shortage of stories emerging.

League One side Birmingham City have done very well during the first half of the season, doing enough to assert themselves as favourites for the automatic promotion.

The Midlands side could have collapsed under the weight of expectation, but they have done a great job so far, and will be hoping to continue putting points on the board in their quest to secure a Championship return.

Having the quality needed to secure a second-tier return, Blues will be keen to retain much of their first team, and potentially add a couple more players to aid their promotion quest.

There have already been plenty of rumours surrounding the third-tier title contenders, with Swansea City centre-back Harry Darling being linked with a move last week.

Below, we take a look at some of this week's rumours involving Chris Davies' side.

Birmingham City agree Phil Neumann deal

It has been reported by Mike McGrath that Birmingham have agreed a deal to sign Hannover full-back Phil Neumann on a pre-contract arrangement.

He will link up with Blues in the summer - and it seems likely that he will join a second-tier team when he officially makes the move.

The length of the contract is unclear at this stage, but with the player now 27, the Midlands side haven't had to pay a penny to lure him away from the German side.

With the experience he has under his belt in the Bundesliga, he could prove to be a shrewd signing for Davies' men.

Birmingham City set to miss out on Jobe Bellingham windfall

Jobe Bellingham has been exceptional for Sunderland since joining from Blues in the summer of 2023.

Establishing himself as a key player at the Stadium of Light, he has been able to make some valuable contributions in the final third again this season, and has done enough to attract interest from elsewhere.

Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund, Crystal Palace and Manchester United are all interested in him, according to a recent report from The Sun.

But the same report has also stated that the player is set to remain on Wearside beyond the end of this window, which isn't good news in the short term for Birmingham.

This is because they are believed to have inserted a 15% sell-on clause into the deal they agreed with the Black Cats when Bellingham made the move to the north east.

A summer sale could provide them with more funds to spend during the next window though, which would be a big positive, considering they will be limited in what they can spend if they secure a second-tier return.

PAOK battle for Lennard Maloney revealed

Heidenheim midfielder Lennard Maloney is attracting interest from Birmingham and Greek side PAOK, both of whom have a "concrete interest" in him.

This is according to Florian Plettenberg, who believes the player will leave his current side during the current window.

Any team who wants to recruit him will need to move fast though, with three Bundesliga teams believed to be engaged in talks to sign him.