How much money Birmingham City have received for Brentford transfer agreement - It's 7 figures | OneFootball

Teenage winger Romelle Donovan has departed Blues, and they've netted a healthy sum of money as a result

League One champions Birmingham City have recieved a seven-figure fee from Brentford to sign winger Romelle Donovan, reports have suggested.

Blues aren't short of cash, having splashed out on the likes of Jay Stansfield and Christoph Klarer on their way to third tier glory in the 2024-25 season - and they're expected to be investing heavily once more ahead of their return to the Championship.

They have however showed that they can also receive decent fees for their individual players too, and the departure of teenager Donovan is set to benefit City very nicely.

Brentford pay Birmingham City £3 million for winger Romelle Donovan

After spending the second half of last season on loan with Brentford in their B team, 18-year-old Donovan was confirmed on Monday to have joined the Bees on a permanent basis, after they activated a clause in the temporary deal.

And according to journalist Dom Smith of The Standard, the west London outfit will pay a £3 million fee to the Blues for their academy graduate, who only had one year remaining on his contract at St. Andrew's.

Donovan netted eight times in seven outings in the Professional Development League for the Bees' reserve side, and they had seen enough clearly to trigger their permanent option in the England youth international.

The winger was handed a senior Birmingham debut back in October 2023 by then-manager Wayne Rooney, coming off the bench against Hull City at the age of 16.

After playing 10 times in all competitions for Birmingham in 2023-24, Donovan was sent out on loan to divisional rivals Burton Albion for 2024-25, but he failed to make an impact with the Brewers, which triggered his early recall and subsequent move to Brentford.

Birmingham City have got a good deal for Romelle Donovan - even if he has strong potential

When Donovan emerged into the first-team picture at St Andrew's nearly two years ago, fans saw a raw talent but one that looked to be promising and that could be developed into a star of the future.

Unlike his youth team-mate and fellow winger at the time Trevan Sanusi, who moved to Newcastle United, Donovan stayed put at Blues, and it showed what they thought of him when sending him to a fellow third tier club in Burton - a club relatively close to him but also one that should have benefitted him in terms of going out of his comfort zone to a club with lower expectations.

For whatever reason though, Donovan didn't feature as much, and whilst the level of competition in the Professional Development League, where Brentford B ply their trade, can be questioned, the teenager has been scoring goals for fun.

Donovan could become a Premier League regular in the future, and if he does, the £3 million fee will look somewhat of a bargain. But for now, with Birmingham expected to be aggressive in the transfer market and with assets of their own on the books, that kind of figure getting put back into the transfer coffers can only be a good thing.