Birmingham City must splash £10m to seal Man United transfer | OneFootball

Radek Vitek has been one of the Championship's best-performing goalkeepers this term

Having finished 10th in the Championship this season, plenty of expectation will no doubt continue to swirl around Birmingham City heading into the 2026/27 campaign.

Blues were heavily fancied to reach the second tier play-offs, at least, before the season got underway, but haven't really been a part of said conversation, in truth.

That is despite the fact that, under Knighthead Capital Management's ownership, Chris Davies has continued to receive ample backing in terms of transfer funds to reshape his squad, and that was certainly the case throughout both transfer windows this season.

However, the West Midlands outfit have seen mixed returns on their investments thus far, whilst Davies has already set out transfer demands for the upcoming summer window, which opens in mid-June alongside the beginning of the FIFA World Cup in North America.

Whilst so many additions to the squad at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park in recent times have been eye-catching through either or both the profile of said player and the transfer fees parted with to secure their services, not all have been value for money, and the club have been criticised, at times, for not recruiting a higher enough calibre of player when it comes to overall ability at Championship level or their future potential.

Yet, whilst it may cost an eight-figure sum again, Blues must test the resolve of Manchester United this summer to potentially resolve an intriguing situation in their goalkeepers' union.

Birmingham City have endured mixed goalkeeping fortunes this season with James Beadle and Ryan Allsop

Blues haven't always had a settled starting lineup this term, and that certainly rings true between the sticks, as both James Beadle and Ryan Allsop have been handed opportunities, whilst not being overly convincing in the eyes of supporters at various points.

The Brighton loanee initially displaced Allsop in October, and has largely been the 'number one' since then, despite being the subject of criticism for his part in a handful of goals conceded, as well as an overall record of eight clean sheets in 35 league games, as well as a negative goals prevented metric.

Davies has defended Beadle on several occasions, and it was reported in January that Blues chiefs would hold talks over a potential permanent move for the 21-year-old at the end of the season, albeit talk on this front has taken a backseat behind the hopeful returns of fellow Brighton loan man, Ibrahim Osman, and Colombian midfielder, Jhon Solis.

Allsop, meanwhile, is a seasoned campaigner in the Championship, and has one year left on a current contract with his boyhood club, having also played a starring role in their record-breaking League One campaign of 2024/25 after he was the man to oust Bailey Peacock-Farrell from the starting lineup in the season's early weeks.

However, it is clear that, for a promotion bid to be mounted, consistency and continuity must be showcased, and Birmingham could do much worse than plot an ambitious move for Radek Vitek, who excelled at Bristol City this season on loan from Old Trafford.

Radek Vitek transfer move would further showcase Birmingham City's ambition

At 22 years of age, Vitek is in a similar boat to Beadle in terms of having so much of his career lying in wait, but the Czech has been a shining light for the Robins, unsurprisingly scooping several awards post-season.

The Red Devils loanee kept 12 clean sheets in 41 appearances - a number only beaten by three of his divisional counterparts - while boasting a save percentage of 71.3 and preventing over five more goals on top of his 54 overall concessions.

At the time his loan switch to Ashton Gate was confirmed, Vitek sealed a new contract until 2028 with his parent club, and it has since been claimed that he wants to fight for his place next season in the North West, with United recently confirming their spot in the UEFA Champions League after a remarkable turnaround under Michael Carrick.

His compatriot and former Chelsea shot-stopper, Petr Cech, has also claimed there is scope for top-flight clubs to pursue a transfer deal, amid reports that a deal could cost £10m this summer.

However, if Birmingham, as expected, remain serious about ending their Premier League exile in advance of moving to the 62,000-seater Powerhouse stadium, they will not be deterred by such potential interest, and would aim to sell their well-documented project to a player of Vitek's quality.

Ironically, he would have caught a recent glimpse of what Blues could be like next season, as their unbeaten end to the 2025/26 campaign included a 2-1 win over the West Country outfit at St. Andrew's on April 25th, and they will hope to start next term in a similar vein despite the strength of the sides who are set to be relegated from the Premier League.