£8m Everton FC man has Championship interest - Birmingham, Stoke & Leicester City should be on red alert | OneFootball

Adam Aznou is set for a loan away from the Hill Dickinson Stadium

The January transfer window is now a matter of days away, meaning clubs are stepping up their preparations ahead of what could be a season-defining period.

Despite there being two standout sides in the Championship in the form of Coventry City and Middlesbrough thus far, the race to potentially join the Sky Blues and the Teesside outfit in next season's Premier League has already seen numerous twists and turns.

Indeed, only a handful of points currently separate a clutch of clubs that currently reside between the play-off places and the upper reaches of the second tier's bottom half.

Such developments are set to make the second half of the season just as dramatic as the first, although it must be said that numerous clubs and their respective managers/head coaches and recruitment teams will be well aware of which departments within their ranks can be improved upon in terms of both quality and depth.

The short-lived nature of the winter window means it is a rarity to see EFL clubs splashing the cash, as previously seen in the summer when Ipswich Town parted with £17.5m - an all-time Championship record - to acquire Norwegian winger, Sindre Walle Egeli.

One avenue which is often explored is the loan market, as sides in the Premier League look to see young talents receive ample minutes to further enhance their development.

It has been reported that Everton are looking to take this particular course of action with left-back Adam Aznou, who signed from Bayern Munich for an £8m fee in the summer.

The Moroccan international, who has not been called up for AFCON, is yet to fully break into David Moyes' plans at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, and claims have emerged that La Liga and Championship sides are interested in a loan swoop.

As such, Football League World have identified THREE potential second tier destinations for the 19-year-old.

Birmingham City

Birmingham City have often caught the eye with their transfer activity funded by ambitious American investment group, Knighthead Capital Management.

As many as 14 permanent or loan signings moved to St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park in the summer as Blues returned to the Championship. However, there are already question marks over the future of some.

It has been claimed that both Eiran Cashin and Lewis Koumas could be recalled by Brighton and Hove Albion and Liverpool respectively, which would free up two loan spots, and one of those could be filled up by Aznou.

FLW exclusively revealed that one of Chris Davies' main plans for the upcoming window is to recruit a left-back capable of competing alongside first-choice option, Alex Cochrane, who, himself, has suffered injury setbacks so far this season.

Lee Buchanan is set to return to fitness imminently, but is also expected to be loaned out in order to build up his own match fitness and sharpness.

Therefore, whilst it is certainly not a guarantee that Aznou would start each and every game in the West Midlands, it is one of many options which the Blues boss should be considering, particularly as it offers a short-term solution when it comes to the needs of both club and player.

Stoke City

Stoke City have enjoyed a largely respectable first half of the season in what is Mark Robins' first full campaign at the Bet365 Stadium, with the ex-Coventry boss making several shrewd signings in the summer also.

One of those came in the form of veteran left-back and former West Ham United man, Aaron Cresswell, who has started a large portion of games despite being 36 years of age.

A younger alternative to use throughout the gruelling and intense second period of term seems somewhat high up on the agenda in this part of Staffordshire, with it being claimed that Stoke are one of many second tier sides also monitoring the availability of Harry Amass, who is currently excelling on loan at the league's crisis club, Sheffield Wednesday, from Manchester United.

Question marks have also been raised over the immediate future of Eric Bocat, who has started on less than 10 occasions in the Championship so far, whilst also emerging as a transfer target for Belgian Pro League side, Standard Liege.

Once again, it remains to be seen if Robins would hand Aznou an ample number of starts that would satisfy the Toffees' demands, but it is an alternative option should they be unsuccessful in a move for the aforementioned Amass.

Leicester City's perilous financial position has significantly impacted the business which Marti Cifuentes has been able to conduct at the King Power Stadium.

With a points deduction looming, the entire landscape of the Foxes' campaign could soon change, which, once again, could impact the calibre of player which the Spaniard is able to bolster his squad with in January.

After an underwhelming first half of the season, it is fair to say that reinforcements are needed, and left-back has been an area of concern, with Luke Thomas' performance levels being extremely mixed, whilst Victor Kristiansen is currently sidelined for a lengthy period after undergoing knee surgery in November.

The East Midlands side had previously been linked with a move for Sierra Leone-born full-back, Amara Keita, after the 20-year-old went on trial with Chelsea in November, showcasing the need for further depth and quality in this department.

Aznou would certainly back himself to provide that for Leicester, having previously made four appearances for Bayern's first-team under Vincent Kompany after progressing through the ranks.