Exclusive: Birmingham City backed to seal Kwame Poku, Peterborough deal amid Premier League claim | OneFootball

Speaking exclusively with FLW, David Prutton has been speaking on Peterborough chairman Darragh MacAnthony's Kwame Poku Premier League claim.

A move to Birmingham City for Peterborough United's Kwame Poku would not come as a surprise to Sky Sports pundit David Prutton, following Premier League claims about the winger.

A number of Peterborough United's top young stars are set to leave the club without being sold for a hefty fee this summer.

Captain Hector Kyprianou is reportedly heading to join Watford in the Championship. Ricky-Jade Jones, who Sheffield United agreed to buy last summer but failed to due to issues with the sale of the club, as well as Poku, are also leaving as free agents this summer, not allowing the club to maximise their profits.

In the case of the winger, specifically, the club's chairman, Darragh MacAnthony, is still expecting to receive "millions" in compensation from either an agreed settlement between the two clubs, or via a tribunal given he's under the age of 24.

Football League World understands that Birmingham are planning to send a £30k-a-week offer to the Ghanaian, but there is a fear that the pull of the two biggest teams in Scotland, Celtic and Rangers, who are also interested in him, could hurt their chances of landing the 12-goal attacker, according to FLW's sister publication, GiveMeSport.

Birmingham highlighted as a strong destination for Kwame Poku by David Prutton

MacAnthony believes that the Ghanaian's next move will follow in the footsteps of his former teammate Harrison Burrows and go to a top Championship club, as does Barry Fry, Posh's director of football, rather than jumping straight to the top flight, which is what Chris Davies' 111-point-winning Birmingham side could be come the end of next season.

The appeal of St Andrew's is obvious, not just to the player, but also to Sky Sports pundit David Prutton, who can see the winger donning a Blues shirt in the second tier next term.

"Kwame Poku is a very, very exciting player," said Prutton, speaking exclusively to FLW.

"One off the development production line at Peterborough, getting players in and moving them on for big money; that's exactly the position that Poku finds himself in.

"Darragh MacAnthony knows the player, Barry Fry knows the player and Darren Ferguson knows how to develop players, so those three players pushing someone like Poku can only mean good things for the player and for the club, with regards to fees.

"Birmingham would be a cracking move given Fry's connections with both clubs. You wouldn't be surprised if that was the case."

A Championship move feels like the natural progression for Poku

Celtic and Rangers will both be able to offer the 23-year-old the chance to play in Europe, something that no Championship side can do.

What they might not provide, however, is a natural stepping stone up to the Premier League - the seemingly preferred destination of most footballers nowadays, especially those that have played in England.

The pathway from English football's second tier to the first tier is a much more well-trodden one, especially recently, compared to going from the Scottish Premiership to their south of the border equivalent.

Cases like Ebere Eze, Ivan Toney, Ollie Watkins and Adam Wharton all prove how quickly you can go from being a Championship prospect to hot property in the Premier League.

Poku feels destined to go down that path, and given how progressive and ambitious Birmingham City football club are under their American ownership, that may not be a distant prospect.