Birmingham City told to consider £25m Jay Stansfield exit on one condition | OneFootball

Blues' club-record signing has attracted a host of suitors early in the transfer window

Birmingham City will be expected to be in and amongst the promotion shake-up in next season's Championship despite a small feeling of uncertainty heading into pre-season.

Blues have become one of the most ambitious clubs in English football, and certainly the EFL, for that matter, under the ownership of Knighthead Capital Management, with the likes of Tom Wagner drawing up lofty short and long-term plans at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park.

Unsurprisingly so, it is the biggest dream of Wagner's to take them back to the top-flight for the first time in a generation before aiming to consolidate and become an eventual force in the division alongside some of the current European contenders.

However, such plans have certainly generated mixed reactions from those on the outside, especially when looking at the current position of the club.

12 months ago, Blues conducted the first of two major squad reshuffles under Chris Davies as they returned to the Championship in record-breaking fashion as League One title winners.

However, as was once again the case earlier in the year, such a big spend on some high-profile names wasn't entirely justified with a 10th-place finish, even if it was the club's highest in a decade.

And, rather concerningly, much of the transfer discourse in the lead-up to pre-season has been on the outgoings front, and that now appears to include club-record signing, Jay Stansfield, who endured a campaign of mixed fortunes.

That said, Football League World's Birmingham City fan pundit, Jason Moore, has also offered a mixed stance on the forward amid fresh transfer interest.

Birmingham City backed to retain Jay Stansfield as £25m transfer interest intensifies

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Indeed, the 23-year-old has attracted plenty of attention in recent times, particularly after Blues parted with in excess of £15m to secure his services on a seven-year contract from Fulham in August 2024.

Since then, the England youth international has been a figurehead for Knighthead's rebuild, and after spearheading the League One title triumph, ended last season with 10 goals and six assists in 44 league games, even though only two of those strikes came in 2026.

It has now been reported that all of Hull City, Ipswich Town, Everton and Sunderland are interested in a move which could cost £25m, while Blues feel relaxed about retaining their prized asset, and Moore certainly echoes those sentiments.

"I think if you ignore the contract length and other factors, £25m isn't a bad fee for someone who's only 23 and is more than capable of playing in the Premier League," he told FLW.

"I don't think it will happen. I think if an established club came in for him, maybe," Moore added. "But I just think the contract length and how he's seen at Blues, I don't see it.

"I think if £25m was to come, I'd personally cash in and wish him the best. But, I don't see it.

"I think he's got too good of a relationship with the club and the fans, so I don't see it happening. I don't think Ipswich or Hull is a big enough drawer for him.

"All three promoted clubs, especially Hull, are likely to struggle," he claimed. "But, if Everton came in for him, I think he'd go.

"Unless someone with a big pull comes, I don't see it happening.

"Even if someone wanted to pay the £25m, I can't see it, because we'll be in the Premier League soon."

Birmingham City will hope Jay Stansfield stays loyal despite Premier League exit talk

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Stansfield has only tasted Premier League action on four occasions with Fulham, and will certainly be chasing such dreams again with much of his career still to come.

After signing a seven-year deal with Blues two years ago, the forward is still under contract for a further five years, and alongside August Priske, would remain at the club until the start of the next decade as part of their attack if no transfer move was made.

However, Everton are clearly a club in the market for some of the EFL's top talents under David Moyes, as they also have their sights set on the division's Player of the Season, Hayden Hackney of Middlesbrough, as they look to make strides of progress in their early seasons at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Unsurprisingly, it would be a blow for Blues to lose Stansfield this summer, even if some have reservations over his recent form, and the hope will be that he becomes even more clinical in the Championship and fires his current employers into the top-flight.