Tom Wagner can find Birmingham City’s Marvin Ducksch upgrade in these 3 strikers | OneFootball

Blues' £1.75m signing of last year appears to be edging towards the exit door

After conducting two eye-catching squad reshuffles in 2025/26, plenty of spotlight is bound to be cast on Birmingham City's upcoming activity in the summer transfer window.

Despite investing heavily last summer and at the beginning of 2026, Blues were only able to muster a 10th-placed finish, some nine points behind eventual play-off winners, Hull City, consigning Chris Davies' men to a second successive year of Championship football after coasting to the League One title.

American owner, Tom Wagner, has continuously backed the 41-year-old when it comes to making desired changes in the transfer market, and one would expect that to be the case yet again as the pressure ramps up over a promotion push due to the upcoming change to the play-off format.

However, one man who may not don the royal blue at the beginning of next season is Marvin Ducksch, who cost £1.75m on a three-year contract from Werder Bremen last August.

Despite eventually hitting the 11-goal mark after taking until mid-November to get off and running on said front, the 32-year-old's off-field antics in April, which saw him cause a serious three-vehicle collision in Henley-in-Arden, have seen his future split opinion.

And, it has since emerged that the two-time German international has a £1m non-promotion release clause in his deal, and is currently of interest to FC Augsburg and Hertha Berlin.

With that said, Football League World have identified three possible upgrades Blues could recruit in the summer if Ducksch was to depart St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park.

Lorent Tolaj

The first of three potential upgrades comes in the form of Plymouth Argyle's prized asset, Swiss striker Lorent Tolaj, who many will feel is deserving of a shot at the Championship based on his continued upward trajectory.

After posting 25 goal contributions in just 46 games for Port Vale beforehand, the Greens poached the 24-year-old through a £1.2m release clause figure, and it has proven to be a bargain despite their eventual shortcomings in the League One play-off race.

Tolaj ended the campaign as the division's fourth-highest scorer with 18 goals in 33 games, and has been monitored by several of Birmingham's divisional rivals, as well as Scottish Premiership giants, Rangers, since the end of the campaign, with a £5m price-tag reported.

Given their previous transfer spends under Knighthead's ownership, many would fancy the Second City outfit to have the forward, at least, on their radar as an upgrade on Ducksch in the here and now, as well as the future.

Ellis Simms

Next up is Ellis Simms, who may find it hard to source regular first-team minutes at Coventry City following their promotion to the Premier League as Championship champions.

At 25 years of age, some would argue that the former Everton man still isn't in the full prime of his career just yet, but his goalscoring record at the CBS Arena since signing three years ago is still highly respectable despite periods of criticism.

As well as forward colleagues, Haji Wright and Brandon Thomas-Asante, Simms was still able to find the back of the net 13 times in 43 league appearances this season, despite only starting on 15 occasions.

He also ended the campaign with a hat-trick against Watford at Vicarage Road, and has already been linked with West Midlands rivals, Wolverhampton Wanderers, who are looking to rebuild following their relegation from the top-flight under Rob Edwards.

However, a fully confident version of the Oldham native could potentially be the required tonic for Birmingham.

Joel Piroe

Last, but by no means least, is Joel Piroe, who is highly expected to leave Leeds United after three years at Elland Road.

In recent years, not many have showcased such a goalscoring knack at Championship level than the Suriname international, perfectly showcased by his record of 73 goals and 18 assists in the second tier for the Whites and Swansea City, who sold him to the West Yorkshire side for in excess of £10m.

However, since the club's return to the Premier League, Piroe has only played 572 minutes across all competitions, and with one year left on his contract, it is the logical time for those aforementioned funds to be somewhat recouped.

Indeed, Blues are said to be one of multiple clubs showing an interest in the 26-year-old, alongside Stoke City, Middlesbrough and Rangers, which means we could have one intriguing transfer battle on our hands in the weeks and months to come.