Birmingham City and Middlesbrough join Stoke in Premier League transfer race amid £10m saga | OneFootball

Liam Millar could still drop back into the Championship despite his weekend heroics

Birmingham City and Middlesbrough are reportedly providing a late transfer threat to Stoke City in the race for Hull City's Canadian winger, Liam Millar.

That is according to Rob Dorsett of Sky Sports - via X - with the Tigers' own pursuit of Potters winger, Sorba Thomas, still at the front and centre of an intense transfer saga.

The three Championship sides have endured differing starts to their respective campaigns, with Middlesbrough sat the highest under Kim Hellberg after three games having picked up victories over Lincoln City and West Bromwich Albion, whilst Birmingham recorded their first league win of the season to ease any prior pressure on Chris Davies with a 2-1 success over Wrexham.

As for Stoke, they have entered the 2026/27 campaign with similar issues that derailed their initial play-off push in the second half of last season, with a 4-1 defeat against Wolves at Molineux on Saturday seeing pressure mount on Mark Robins despite a summer transfer window full of activity.

The North Staffordshire side are only one of two sides still pointless in the second tier heading into September, and with just over 24 hours until Tuesday's transfer deadline, it would come as a huge blow if they were to miss out on Millar's signature and still lose the services of their prized asset.

Birmingham City and Middlesbrough enter transfer race for Hull City's Liam Millar

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It has been reported in recent days that Stoke have held an interest in the Canadian winger and former Liverpool academy graduate as Hull look to secure a deal for the aforementioned Thomas, who was previously of interest to West Ham United.

The Potters previously rejected a £7m bid from the Premier League newcomers for the Welsh winger, who, like Millar, featured in last Tuesday's EFL Cup tie between the two sides, which Hull won 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

Millar was then back on Sergej Jakirovic's substitutes' bench against Coventry City in Saturday's clash at the CBS Arena, but his 82nd-minute strike was enough for the Yorkshire side to continue their perfect top-flight return.

As per Dorsett's latest update on this recent transfer saga, Stoke have now accepted a bid worth up to £10m with add-ons from Hull for Thomas, but his departure will not be sanctioned unless a replacement comes in at the Bet365 Stadium.

However, their pursuit of Millar still remains, whilst Birmingham and Middlesbrough are also eyeing a move to further pack out Davies and Hellberg's attacking options.

Birmingham City will hope to eventually be successful in winger pursuit after transfer frustrations

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It has been a mixed transfer window for Birmingham in particular, and whilst Millar has struggled with injury issues in the past 24 months, the 26-year-old does have a respectable Championship record, having also spent time on loan with Preston North End in 2023/24 on loan from FC Basel.

The West Midlands side had previously set their sights on the likes of Joe Gelhardt, Anis Mehmeti and Ibrahim Osman to add further depth in the left-wing position, which Jay Stansfield had predominantly operated in at the beginning of the season due to a lack of depth and a pre-season injury to Demarai Gray.

However, it emerged on Sunday that Mehmeti is willing to fight for his place at Ipswich Town, who, like Hull, have returned to the top-flight, a division which the Albanian has never featured in.

Birmingham City, Middlesbrough and Stoke City transfer saga will be one to watch

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As previously mentioned, there are already so many moving parts to this transfer saga which will make it one to watch in the final hours of the transfer window.

Hull had been linked with other wide targets aside from Thomas heading into the window's final days, but have been rejected by Eintracht Frankfurt winger, Jean-Matteo Bahoya despite a fee being agreed by the two clubs.

Given Thomas' record of 21 goal contributions in the Championship last season, it is no surprise that many believe the 27-year-old is capable of making the step-up to the Premier League, whilst Millar would be viewed as an adequate replacement.

However, with Birmingham also desperate for further depth and Middlesbrough already tapping into the North American market on several occasions this window, it will be intriguing to see where the 44-time international's future lies.