2024 Birmingham City signing may have real exit fear - He’s set to face Demarai Gray competition | OneFootball

The £1.5m signing hasn't properly got going ever since making the switch to Birmingham last summer.

Former Birmingham City youngster Demarai Gray is edging closer to a St Andrew's return.

Everybody knew that Birmingham were going to be competitive next season off the back of what they did following their relegation to League One in 2024.

Simply put, they broke records. Transfer records, points records, the lot; Chris Davies' side was a smashing machine in the third tier.

It sent a warning to the teams in the Championship that at least one of the three teams coming up from the division below is not going to be there to make up the numbers.

By the sounds of it, Wrexham and Charlton Athletic aren't looking to go down that path either.

Birmingham City nearing Demarai Gray signing

City were just so superior to everyone else in every department, and yet there is still room for improvement.

The strength and depth of their wing options were not great, compared to the rest of their team. Keshi Anderson was a standout, but Davies struggled to extract much else from the rest of the 29-year-old's competition.

Birmingham are looking to address this by bringing back Gray. They have reportedly agreed a deal with Al-Ettifaq, who were looking to get £8 million for Gray, to bring the Jamaican international back to the midlands after it was revealed that he wanted to return to the UK. He has been with the Saudi Pro League outfit for nearly two years.

If the 29-year-old can return to his former glory days in England, he will be a real problem for Championship defenders next season.

The majority of the last decade for Gray has been spent playing in the Premier League.

He found the most personal success after he left Leicester City, who him from Birmingham for £3.75 million in January 2016, when he moved to Everton. His first full season there saw him rack up six goals and five assists in 39 appearances in all competitions.

Gray is still at a very good age to deliver the goods for Birmingham, who dropped a potential hint about his impending return by wishing him a happy birthday on Saturday. His move back to St Andrew's could spell trouble for one of the current members of Davies' squad.

Demarai Gray's arrival would surely put an end to summer 2024 arrival's Birmingham hopes

Among the £20-25 million that the Blues spent last summer was a deal that saw Swedish attacking midfielder Emil Hansson join the club. He arrived from Dutch outfit Heracles Almelo for a reported £1.5 million but struggled to nail down a spot in the team once he completed his move to England.

Hansson only started a dozen League One fixtures in the previous campaign and managed just over one half of action per appearance. On top of that, he wasn't able to get involved much in the most dangerous areas. Three direct goal contributions were all he mustered up in his first season in the UK.

With the potential for Gray to be added to Birmingham's ranks, the chances are that Hansson is not going to rise up City's pecking order. His spell as a Blue could easily come to an end this summer, and that could be beneficial for him going forward.

He's at a club that has its eyes set on the Premier League. Hansson can't expect to have a big role in Davies' squad if/when they make that jump up to the top flight when he struggled for minutes in the third tier.

He signed a three-year deal when he joined Chris Davies' side, so selling him may prove to be a bit difficult. A loan move may pan out to be the best option for the Swede.

At 27, he has spent the majority of his career playing in the Netherlands. Depending on his wages, a move back to continental Europe could be best for Hansson's future prospects.