Marvin Ducksch takes step towards sealing Birmingham City exit | OneFootball

Marvin Ducksch joined Birmingham City last summer but could be set for an exit when the transfer market opens

Birmingham City were unable to sustain a promotion challenge in their first year back in the Championship.

The Blues gained promotion from League One 12 months ago with a record-breaking tally of 111 points, which led to optimism they could fight for a place in the Premier League straight away.

However, the Midlands outfit ultimately finished 10th, nine points adrift of sixth place Hull City, despite a positive run of form to end the campaign.

It is set to be a busy summer ahead at St. Andrew’s, with the club looking to bolster their options for another push at promotion next year.

But it is becoming increasingly likely that departures will also be a major factor in the upcoming transfer market as well.

While Davies’ future with the Championship side seems secure for now, there are players like Marvin Ducksch and Kyogo Furuhashi that could both depart.

Marvin Ducksch takes step towards Birmingham exit

It has been reported by German outlet Bild that Hertha Berlin have joined the race to sign Ducksch this summer.

It is believed that the forward went to the capital city in order to get a feel for what it would be like to live there, which included attending the DFB Pokal final between Bayern Munich and Stuttgart.

The 32-year-old made the switch to Birmingham last summer from Werder Bremen in a deal worth €2 (£1.7) million.

Hertha Berlin face competition from Augsburg in the race to sign the striker, with it being claimed that he has a €1 million (£860,000) release clause in his contract due to the club’s failure to gain promotion to the Premier League.

Championship, but he fell down the pecking order in the second half of the campaign.

The German featured 33 times in the league, including 25 starts, but he was also handed a 14-month ban from driving after he was found guilty of drink-driving while causing a collision that injured two women.

His future at St. Andrew’s is now very much up in the air, and an exit is looking to be the likeliest outcome at this stage.

Augsburg finished ninth in the Bundesliga table last season, narrowly missing out on qualification for European competition.

Meanwhile, Hertha Berlin finished seventh in the 2. Bundesliga, and were 11 points adrift of promotion to the top flight.

Marvin Ducksch departure would be best for everyone

Ducksch’s future should be away from Birmingham at this stage, as a return to Germany seems the best option on the table.

The Blues will do well to recoup some of the fee paid to sign the 32-year-old last year, who just didn’t have quite the desired impact in Davies’ side.

While he had his moments, and scoring 10 goals isn’t nothing, it would be best for all parties if he moved on given how the second half of the campaign went.

Hertha Berlin are in the second division, but may be able to offer more regular game time than at Augsburg, so that may be his preferred destination at this stage if he’s checking out the city ahead of a possible move.