Birmingham City player emerges on Hull City transfer radar | OneFootball

Hull City are interested in Birmingham City centre-back Phil Neumann as they look to strengthen their squad following promotion.

Hull City are interested in Birmingham City defender Phil Neumann as they look to strengthen their squad following promotion to the Premier League.

The German agreed to join Blues in January 2025 on a pre-contract, in what was seen as a real coup for the club, as Neumann had starred with Hannover 96.

However, he faced a battle to establish himself in Chris Davies’ XI, but the 29-year-old did impress at times, although it was a disappointing season on the whole for Birmingham as they failed to reach the play-offs.

Hull City are keen on Birmingham City centre-back Phil Neumann

It appears Neumann’s performances in royal blue were impressive though, as reporter Rudy Galetti has revealed that Hull have ‘shown interest’ in the player.

He explains that Sergej Jakirovic is in the market for a new centre-back this summer, and Neumann is now on the ‘shortlist’ for the newly-promoted side, but no potential fee is mentioned.

Blues will feel they are in a strong negotiating position with Neumann, as he still has two years to run on the contract that he signed when he joined.

Neumann started, and played 77 minutes, for Birmingham as they beat Barcelona in their final pre-season friendly last week, and he is expected to be in the XI for their Championship opener at Sheffield United alongside Christoph Klarer.

Birmingham City must stand firm on Phil Neumann valuation amid Hull City interest

This is a somewhat surprising link, as whilst Neumann is obviously a good player, he didn’t appear to stand out for Blues last season, and he has spent his entire career in the second tier, whether that’s in Germany or England.

So, it would be a risk for Hull to bring him in following promotion to the Premier League, but that’s not to say he wouldn’t be able to cope at that level.

From Blues’ perspective, any deal would be all about the money involved. It appears that Neumann is in Davies’ preferred XI right now alongside Christoph Klarer in the heart of the defence, so, obviously, it would be a blow if he did move on.

But, with Dael Fry having joined, and Jack Robinson still at the club, Birmingham have two EFL proven players in central defence, and a big sale would allow them to spend further.

Therefore, the thinking behind any potential sale would come down to the fee. At 29, this is arguably the last chance Blues will get to pick up a decent sum for Neumann, so it may make sense from a business perspective.

Another factor that would have to be considered is Neumann’s own view. On one hand, the appeal of the Premier League is obvious, especially at this stage of his career, but if he isn’t guaranteed game time, there will be question marks over whether he should leave Blues, who have ambitions of winning promotion themselves.