Birmingham City join Derby County, Wrexham AFC in transfer race for Wolves man as Molineux exit beckons | OneFootball

Birmingham City are set to join Derby County and Wrexham in the chase for the experienced Wolves star Craig Dawson, according to reports.

Birmingham City are set to join Derby County and Wrexham in the chase for the experienced Wolves defender Craig Dawson, who is out of contract at Molineux.

Ambitious Birmingham are targeting a second successive promotion after they lifted the League One title at the end of the 2024-25 season.

With plans for a huge new stadium in Birmingham already under way, Premier League football will be essential for them, but getting there without the benefit of parachute payments will mean that they have to use their money smartly.

Birmingham are to join Derby and Wrexham in the chase for Craig Dawson

Journalist Alan Nixon has reported that Birmingham are set to join the race for the highly experienced Wolves defender Craig Dawson, alongside Derby County and the other club automatically promoted alongside them from League One, Wrexham.

Dawson is out of contract at Molineux at the end of June, and is to be released by Wolves after two-and-a-half years with the club. The availability of such an experienced defender was always likely to attract the interest of other clubs.

Craig Dawson has been a mainstay of the Premier League for the last six straight seasons with West Ham United and Wolves, but he also has Championship experience, having played in this division for West Bromwich Albion and Bolton Wanderers.

Despite the fact that no transfer fee would be payable for him, he might not be cheap. Salary Sport estimate his wage at Wolves to be £67,000-a-week, and it's unlikely that many Championship clubs would be able to match his Wolves money. According to Capology's figures for the 2024-25 season, to do so would make him one of the highest-paid players in the entire division.

But Birmingham's ambition might be enough to persuade Dawson to make the switch there, and getting such a famous club back into the Premier League for the first time in a decade and a half might be exactly the sort of 'project' that such an experienced player would want to seek their teeth into before they retire from the game altogether.

Making such a move might make sense for the player from a personal point of view as well as a professional one, as well. After all, Molineux and St Andrews are just 14 miles apart, and this would negate the need for him to uproot his family or be separated from them.

The competition will be close. Derby County are building to improve upon their narrow escape from relegation at the end of 2024-25 and John Eustace is a highly thought-of coach, while Wrexham would be a high-profile move to another club which has received a huge amount of attention in recent years. But the appeal of Birmingham is obvious, and the Blues will be confident of acquiring the services of this highly-rated and highly-experienced defender.