Celtic join Sheffield United in transfer race for Birmingham City player | OneFootball

Celtic are interested in Birmingham City's Marc Leonard, who is also on the radar of Sheffield United, ahead of the summer transfer window.

Birmingham City are set for a busy summer transfer window as Chris Davies looks to reshape the squad ahead of what he hopes will be a promotion push next season.

Whilst there will be a focus on incomings, Blues will need to sell players to balance the group, and one player who faces an uncertain future is Marc Leonard.

The midfielder made 35 appearances for Birmingham as they won the League One title last season, but he struggled for minutes in the current campaign, so a January loan move to Hearts was finalised.

That has turned out to be shrewd business by the Jambos, as Leonard has been superb over the past few months, which has left the Edinburgh outfit in pole position to win the title against all odds.

Celtic are the latest club to show an interest in Birmingham City’s Marc Leonard

As it stands, Leonard is set to return to St. Andrew’s in the summer, but it appears another move could be on the cards, as it has been reported that Chris Wilder, who was spotted at Tynecastle on Monday to watch the midfielder, wants to bring the 24-year-old to Bramall Lane.

However, they won’t have a clear run at Leonard, as the Daily Record has revealed that Celtic are also keen on signing the player.

The report explains that Birmingham will demand a ‘significant seven-figure’ sum for Leonard to even ‘consider’ a sale, which would represent a profit on the £500,000 they paid Brighton for him.

They add that Celtic have been scouting Leonard over the past few games, and that will continue during the run-in, as the Glasgow giants battle Hearts for the title, with the two set to meet at Parkhead on the final day.

Birmingham City are facing up to crucial Marc Leonard decision

With Leonard under contract at Birmingham until the summer of 2028, there’s no desperate need for the club to cash in.

Plus, with Tommy Doyle set to return to parent club Wolves, and Jhon Solis attracting interest from other clubs after his impressive loan spell, it’s an area of the pitch that Blues may be short in, so Leonard may have a role to play.

Clearly, Leonard is going to want to play regularly, and if he isn’t going to get game time, you would imagine he will push to leave.

He has really shown his class for Hearts, immediately becoming a key figure in the XI, and he is crucial to the way Derek McInnes’ side play, as he moves the ball quickly, progresses play and helps control the tempo.

So, it’s no surprise that clubs are keen, and Celtic’s interest is understandable as Leonard has proven that he can deal with the demands of Scottish football, and he should be within their price range.

Of course, his only concern right now will be the final three games of the season, and trying to make history with Hearts.

Then, Leonard and Birmingham will need to have a conversation about his future, and it appears he is going to have a very big decision to make, as there is a lot of interest building for his signature, so it will be intriguing to see where he is playing his football next season.