Kyogo transfer message sent to Birmingham City after 'absolutely horrendous' Knighthead deal | OneFootball

FLW's Birmingham City fan pundit has given his verdict on how much the club could sell forwards Kyogo and Marvin Ducksch for this summer.

It is set to be a crucial summer for Birmingham City after an underwhelming first season back in the Championship.

Birmingham owner Tom Wagner made it clear that the club were aiming for back-to-back promotions this season, but after an inconsistent campaign, the Midlands outfit eventually finished in 10th place, eight points adrift of the play-off places.

Despite speculation over his future in recent months, it looks as though manager Chris Davies will be allowed to remain in charge at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park next season, but there are likely to be plenty of changes in the squad, with forwards Kyogo Furuhashi and Marvin Ducksch among those who could be set to depart.

Kyogo joined Birmingham from French side Rennes last summer in a deal worth up to £10 million, but it was a frustrating debut season at the club for the 31-year-old, who scored just three goals in 31 appearances in all competitions, and he missed the final month of the campaign after undergoing surgery on a shoulder injury.

Having failed to establish himself in the Blues' team, the Japan international was linked with a move back to former club Celtic in January, but while a deal did not materialise on that occasion, the club could look to cash in on him this summer.

Ducksch fared significantly better following his summer move from German outfit Werder Bremen for a fee of around £1.75 million, scoring 11 goals and providing two assists in 36 appearances this season.

However, Ducksch was charged with drink-driving last month following a car crash, raising doubts over his future at Birmingham, and with Spanish club Real Sociedad said to be tracking him ahead of the summer transfer window, he could potentially follow Kyogo out of the exit door.

Birmingham City told to offload Kyogo this summer as Marvin Ducksch prediction issued

When asked how much he believes the forward pair could be sold for, FLW's Birmingham City fan pundit Jason Moore revealed that he expects the Blues to be able to recoup the fee they paid for Ducksch, but he urged the club to do everything possible to offload Kyogo this summer, even if that involves making a big loss.

"Marvin Ducksch has got a pedigree, whether people want to admit it or not, there is a pedigree player there," Jason told FLW.

"I'd like to think that we would at least get our money back, £2.5 million is not unrealistic.

"Especially if it's coming from a Bundesliga club, I think it's definitely something we could recoup.

"If the fee we paid for Kyogo is £4 million, how much of that £4 million do we realistically get back from a football club who wants to spend that money on a player who has scored three goals in 18 months?

"I reckon we get nothing back.

"For someone who is 31 and has been awful, probably one of the worst strikers that Blues have ever seen compared to what we were expecting, I just don't see which football club would want to spend money on him.

"I think the best thing Blues can do is try to cut their losses.

"His wages are massive as well, I'd be surprised if anyone took him on with his wages.

"I think this is going to end up being one of the worst deals that has happened under Knighthead, and we're going to have to end up biting the bullet, taking the loss and probably paying some of his wages to get him out of the club.

"He's been absolutely horrendous.

"Let's say the hypothetical fee for the two players is £6.5 million, I think we'll get £2.5 million for Ducksch, but that's about it.

"We need to just do what we can to move Kyogo on."

Birmingham City facing big Kyogo, Marvin Ducksch dilemmas ahead of summer window

The signing of Kyogo was seen as a major coup for Birmingham last summer, particularly given his outstanding record at Celtic, where he scored 85 goals and provided 19 assists in just 165 games during a prolific three-and-a-half year spell.

Such was Kyogo's impressive form at Celtic Park, he was even linked with a move to Manchester City in 2024, but after a nightmare first season in the Midlands, it seems unlikely that any suitors will be willing to pay anywhere near the fee the Blues spent on him last summer.

After a decent debut campaign at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park, Birmingham may be more open to giving Ducksch another chance next season, but it remains to be seen what impact his recent off-field issues may have on his future.