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Birmingham City are keen on a deal to bring Ibrahim Osman back to the club

Birmingham City will be aiming to contend for promotion to the Premier League next season.

The Blues were unable to sustain a play-off push in their first year back in the Championship in the previous campaign.

Chris Davies’ side finished 10th in the table, nine points adrift of sixth place Hull City, who went on to seal promotion to the top flight.

It could be a busy summer for the Midlands outfit, who have spent heavily under owners Knighthead Capital in recent transfer windows.

So far this summer, the Blues have confirmed the arrival of Jhon Solis on a permanent basis after he spent the second half of last season on loan at St. Andrew’s, along with the addition of Dael Fry as a free agent.

But Birmingham’s business is unlikely to stop there, and they have until 1 September to complete any remaining deals.

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It has been reported by Birmingham Live that negotiations are ongoing between the Championship side and Brighton over a deal for Ibrahim Osman.

The 21-year-old made the move to St. Andrew’s in the January transfer window, arriving on loan from the Premier League club.

However, his future is still up in the air, with Birmingham keen on bringing him back to Davies’ side for next season.

The forward contributed two goals and two assists from 17 appearances in the second division, and he earned the backing of fans with his performances.

While it’s understood that Brighton are willing to sell Osman, the two clubs are currently quite far apart in their valuation of the player.

The Blues are having to manage their financial position as they do not want to breach the new Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) rules that have come in place for this summer.

Clubs are capped to spending only 85 per cent of their revenue on the first team squad, and Birmingham’s heavy spending of previous transfer windows has left them limited under these rules.

How Birmingham fans feel about Ibrahim Osman transfer chase

Birmingham fans are positive about the prospect of signing Osman on a permanent transfer after enjoying his initial loan spell, and would be willing to take James Beadle back on loan to facilitate this move instead.

Supporters believe that the team ended the previous campaign on a positive note, so the continuity of keeping a player like Osman would be helpful.

However, the club have been warned about dealing with Brighton, who have a reputation for being tough to negotiate with.

But not everyone is convinced that Birmingham should push the boat out to sign the 21-year-old, claiming the Seagulls’ asking price is likely to be too high to be worth it.

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Birmingham have to be careful with their spending

If Birmingham are restricted by the new SCR rules, then it will be tricky to add Osman as a permanent member of the squad, particularly given they’re dealing with Brighton.

The Seagulls won’t take any sympathy for the Championship side’s position, and will want to extract maximum value from the winger.

Perhaps another loan move might make the most sense for the time being, as Birmingham simply have to be cautious in the market for now.

Relying on loan deals isn’t the best way to build a squad, but in this case it might just be the best move for the Blues until their financial position becomes stronger.