Birmingham City tipped for transfer mishap over £500k player - "I've got no faith in us" | OneFootball

Marc Leonard is currently on loan at Hearts - could he leave Blues permanently in the summer?

It is fair to say that Marc Leonard's spell at Birmingham City hasn't exactly gone the way the midfielder or the club would have initially planned after the agreement of a four-year contract back in July 2024.

The Scot, at the time, was viewed as one of English football's most highly-rated properties after flourishing out on loan at Northampton Town in both League Two and League One on loan from established Premier League outfit, Brighton and Hove Albion.

Chris Davies clearly believed that his technical ability and combativeness in the middle of the park would help Blues in their quest of a first-time promotion from League One back into the Championship, which, in turn, would allow Leonard to test his metal in the second tier for the very first time.

Whilst the aforementioned set of circumstances have, to an extent, happened, with Birmingham breaking the EFL's all-time points record last season and continuing to harbour aims of an eventual Premier League return, the midfield ace has endured quite the frustrating timeframe at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park.

As such, it appears as though the former Under-21s youth international could be on his way out of the B9 club on a permanent basis this summer after already catching the eye with former academy side and Scottish Premiership leaders, Hearts since his loan switch two months ago.

Birmingham City tipped to get small fee for Marc Leonard if Hearts deal completed

Since his £500,000 switch to St. Andrew's, Leonard has made 64 appearances in all competitions for Blues, but has largely become a victim of their immediate desire for success.

The 24-year-old had often been unable to dislodge either Paik Seung-ho and Tomoki Iwata last season, before Tommy Doyle's loan switch from Wolves in July saw him fall further down the pecking order.

After limited minutes in the first half of the season, Hearts were able to reunite with Leonard on a loan basis after he previously attracted interest from Sheffield United and Norwich City.

So far, the Jambos are reaping the rewards of said agreement despite the fact he has played less than 10 times for the Edinburgh side, with reports north of the border stating that the club are interested in a permanent deal despite a stumbling block which has emerged due to wages.

Hearts boss, Derek McInnes, has also described Leonard as a "godsend" for his short-term impact thus far.

Although he wouldn't begrudge the Blues loanee for turning his stint at Tynecastle Park into a permanent one, Football League World's Birmingham City fan pundit, Jason Moore, believes the West Midlands side could make a profit if Leonard was to complete a summer switch to another Championship side.

"I think there's quite a good player in Marc Leonard, and I think he's going to develop into a decent talent," Moore told FLW.

"It depends where he moves. If he goes to Scotland, I've got no faith in us getting a decent fee, and I think we'd recoup the fee we paid for him, and that's it.

"If he stays in the Championship, I'd be looking for, at least, £2.5m-£3m. I think that would be a good sale," he added.

"I don't think his career lies at St. Andrew's. I think there's a player there, but is he Premier League quality? Probably not. Is he good enough or better than what we have at the moment? No, probably not.

"I feel for him, because he could have developed into something good. But, we're in way too much of a rush, and he's one of those who has been left by the side because he's not played enough.

"For the betterment of his career, I think he needs to leave, but stay in the Championship. I think that's where we'd get the better fee," Moore claimed.

"Hopefully we'd get a decent fee. If he went to Hearts, I think we'd just get the £500k back, which isn't the end of the world. But, there's definitely more money to be made there."

Birmingham City's recent deal for Jhon Solis only adds to Marc Leonard departure likelihood

It, of course, remains to be seen what the immediate future holds for Leonard. However, it is almost certain that his whereabouts will be anywhere but St. Andrew's.

As Moore alluded to, it is a shame that things haven't gone as planned for the respective parties. But, with Hearts having a shot at European football next season, that may be enough for the Scottish side to fend off competition once more.

Furthermore, Blues' move for Colombian powerhouse, Jhon Solis, in January only added to the likelihood of Leonard's permanent exit, with the Championship side agreeing an initial loan agreement with Girona FC that can be turned permanent itself through the activation of a £6.9m clause, either as an obligation due to appearances, or if Birmingham still agree to signing the 21-year-old for the long-term.