£500k Birmingham City star could leave - Sheffield United, QPR and Hearts must be sniffing | OneFootball

Marc Leonard's time at St. Andrew's could be coming to an end this summer

Birmingham City's transfer business under the ownership of Knighthead Capital Management has caught the eye for many reasons, none more so than the fact the club's American investors are hoping to see the club return to the Premier League as soon as possible.

Tom Wagner's millions have financed a well-documented rebuilding job both on and off the pitch at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park, as the man who finally saw his hedge fund firm complete a full takeover of the club in November 2025 continues to back Chris Davies to the hill when it comes to being the man who could achieve the aforementioned feats.

Davies was appointed by Blues as manager in June 2024 ahead of what proved to be the West Midlands outfit's first, and only season, at League One level since 1995, with the club breaking several records along the way, including their own and the division's transfer record to sign Jay Stansfield on a permanent basis from Fulham, before achieving an EFL all-time record of 111 points.

One of the 40-year-old's first signings in B9 shortly after his arrival was that of Scottish midfielder, Marc Leonard, who joined from Brighton and Hove Albion for a reported £500,000 sum.

After impressing in two loan stints with Northampton Town, there was hope that the Glaswegian could continue his upward trajectory with Blues.

However, two years into his four-year deal, the 24-year-old's immediate future remains up in the air, as he is plying his trade with Scottish Premiership title hopefuls and former club, Hearts, after a loan move was agreed in January.

With that being said, Football League World have looked at three clubs who could potentially swoop for Leonard's services in the upcoming summer window.

Sheffield United

Kickstarting this list is one of Blues' divisional rivals, Sheffield United.

It was reported in January, in what was Chris Wilder's first transfer window after being reappointed at Bramall Lane for a third time, that the Blades had lodged an enquiry over the potential signing of the midfielder.

That was also before United were able to complete the loan signing of Kalvin Phillips from Manchester City and an 18-month deal for Rangers outcast, Joe Rothwell.

However, with it remaining to be seen if Phillips would extend his stay, whilst Rothwell hasn't had the desired start to life in S2, it has also worried Unitedites that interest is likely to surface in academy graduate, Sydie Peck, who continues to impress on an individual level.

Like Peck, Leonard does possess both a strong technical ability and combativeness in the middle of the park, and they are attributes that have often been associated with Wilder's successful teams in the Steel City throughout the past decade.

As such, it could be no surprise to see the Blades express an interest in the Scot in the summer, and perhaps secure a cut-price deal as a result of his current predicament within the Blues ranks.

Queens Park Rangers

Similarly, Queens Park Rangers have been linked with Leonard's services over recent transfer windows, although it was claimed in January that Julien Stephan was not actively pursuing a move for the midfielder.

That could all change this summer, though, particularly if the West London side are to lose the services of the highly-rated Jonathan Varane, who has continued to be the subject of transfer interest.

The Frenchman has been the subject of offers as high as £5m from La Liga side, Espanyol, as well as strong interest from Saint-Étienne in his home country.

However, with his contract currently expiring in 2027, the upcoming summer could be seen as a prime time for Rangers to make a profit on their midfield ace and replace his quality with someone such as Leonard, who may be available on the cheap after firmly putting himself in the 'shop window' for his performances since moving to Hearts on loan at the back end of January.

Alternatively, a clear transfer move would be for the Scottish Premiership leaders to turn Leonard's current loan deal into a permanent move.

The Under-21 youth international has made a strong impact since his debut against Celtic in January, during which he posted an assist for Stuart Findlay, before netting in the 4-2 defeat to Rangers at Ibrox last month.

Shortly after his move was finalised, Leonard was extremely complimentary towards boss, Derek McInnes, for the energy and belief which he had helped reinstill into his game after just 17 appearances for Blues in the first half of the season.

It remains to be seen what fee Birmingham would command for Leonard's services, but with the midfielder on the cusp of helping the Edinburgh side to a historic league success, there is every chance he would want to be a part of a continued rise for the Jambos instead of returning to the bench at St. Andrew's.

That has been backed up by a recent report from the Edinburgh Evening News, who claim that whilst Hearts would look to strike a permanent move, there is a stumbling block which has been provided through Leonard's wage earnings.