Birmingham City should push to sign £17m Chelsea star - Ipswich Town were linked | OneFootball

Chelsea wonderkid Kendry Paez could be set for a loan move to a Championship side this month, and Birmingham City should get to the front of the queue

Birmingham City have had to go back to the drawing board when it comes to bolstering their attacking options this January, and they should look at igniting interest in Chelsea's Kendry Paez.

Chris Davies' side looked set on bringing in 21-year-old wideman Abdoulie Manneh from Swedish side Mjallby, but Football League World exclusively revealed that talks broke down at the 11th hour in a shock twist.

Now, Birmingham will be looking elsewhere for an attacking boost. Lewis Koumas is still set to be sent back to Liverpool this month but will have to wait until another winger is sourced first, confirming that the ambitious Blues are still looking for upgrades.

And with plenty of young stars in Birmingham's fold currently, it would make sense for Chris Davies' side to put their name in the hat for 18-year-old Ecuadorian attacking midfielder Paez to help add to that young core.

Kendry Paez looks set for a return to England this January after a failed Strasbourg loan

18-year-old wonderkid Paez is one of the many young stars that Chelsea looks to bring in from all over the world when they are still developing. This time, the Premier League side looked to Ecuador and spent £17.27 million on one of their brightest stars.

Paez is a record holder in his home country. Nicknamed the new 'jewel' of Ecuador, the 18-year-old is the youngest player to make an appearance and score in the Ecuadorian top flight with his former side, Independiente del Valle. He's also the youngest South American player to score in a World Cup qualifier.

Evidently, Chelsea have high hopes for the 18-year-old, given that they actually couldn't see their £17 million star in action for two years after they bought him, due to FIFA rulings.

When he did finally arrive at Stamford Bridge, he was sent to the French top flight to play for fellow BlueCo side Strasbourg. That again shows that Chelsea believes him to be ready to be a top-level player in Europe immediately, but it hasn't gone that way in the opening half of this term.

Paez has started just four games this season in Ligue 1 and seven in all competitions. According to The Athletic, Chelsea is therefore considering recalling him this January and relocating him to an English club instead.

In the Championship, the 18-year-old would be afforded plenty more game time at a level that he could excel in, before returning to Stamford Bridge in the summer with the view of perhaps breaking into the first team, playing in the same midfield as fellow countryman Moises Caicedo.

Birmingham City should swoop in and take Chelsea's Kendry Paez

Bolavip have stated that Ipswich are currently in the driver's seat for the signing of Paez this month, but it has since been reported that the Tractor Boys aren't interested in his services.

Therefore, if Birmingham should join the race and try and secure his services, they may receive little to no competition.

The Blues need a spark in attacking midfield, and are also clearly in the market for wide options. There would have been hopes that Manneh could have provided that, but now that the move has broken down, Chris Davies' side needs to act quickly to secure an apt replacement, and Paez can operate in both positions.

Paez comes with plenty of pedigree from his past, but he still needs to adjust to European football, and he needs regular game time to do so. Therefore, it's understandable why the Ipswich links have since been quashed, as there's already a plethora of attacking talent at Kieran McKenna's disposal.

That would definitely be the case at Birmingham, as the Blues are in desperate need of attacking reinforcements given the injury to Demarai Gray and the departure of Keshi Anderson.

If the Blues can bring him to St Andrew's, and he can showcase why Chelsea spent a hefty eight-figure fee on him just a month after his 16th birthday, then Birmingham could be well on their way to mounting a push towards the top six throughout the second half of the campaign.