Blackburn Rovers initiate Birmingham City transfer talks - "strong possibility" in January revealed | OneFootball

Taylor Gardner-Hickman could permanently depart St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park

Blackburn Rovers have attempted to begin discussions with Birmingham City over the potential of signing versatile figure, Taylor Gardner-Hickman, on a permanent basis.

That is according to a report from Birmingham Live, who have revealed that such developments have taken place amid specific clauses which were agreed between the two Championship clubs when the 23-year-old swapped St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park for Ewood Park on an initial temporary basis on Deadline Day in the summer transfer window.

Despite the fact the two sides were a division apart last season, it is very much Blues who have enjoyed the better start to the current campaign as we head towards the crucial Christmas and New Year period, with the winter transfer window also opening for business in less than a month's time.

Chris Davies' side have largely addressed what was a rough patch of form in the Autumn and have won five of their past seven matches, with four of those coming at St. Andrew's, where they have scored 14 times in those outings against Portsmouth, Millwall, Norwich City and most recently, Watford.

Rovers, meanwhile, have been left cursing their luck of late. Valerien Ismael's side have followed up a strong 2-1 win against Preston North End with back-to-back 1-1 draws against Wrexham and Ipswich Town, with both the Red Dragons and Tractor Boys equalising at the death, with the latter also adding a further sense of injustice following a well-documented rescheduling of the fixture.

Despite the fact the two sides currently find themselves 10 places and seven points apart in the standings, Gardner-Hickman has already made himself a mainstay in Ismael's side after reuniting with the Frenchman after a previous spell as colleagues at West Bromwich Albion.

Therefore, it may come as little surprise that the ex-Baggies boss is hoping to extend his second spell with the Telford native.

Blackburn Rovers lodge inquiry over permanent Birmingham City, Taylor Gardner-Hickman transfer

Gardner-Hickman has only been on the books of Birmingham for a year, having joined the West Midlands side from Bristol City on an initial loan basis after they were relegated to League One for the first time in 30 years.

After an initial slow start in terms of regular minutes, his versatility would soon become a key asset for Davies as Blues went on to feature in 60 matches across all competitions, going far into the FA Cup and reaching the EFL Trophy final on top of their record-breaking 111 point haul in the third-tier.

The natural midfielder would play in a whole manner of positions, including right-back and left-wing, scoring three times and posting two assists in 43 appearances, before his move from Ashton Gate was made permanent for a reported £1.5m sum until June 2028.

However, with Blues conducting yet another strong summer recruitment drive, as well as already bidding farewell to key performers from last season, such as Alfie May, Gardner-Hickman was another man who would fall victim to the rapid change occurring at St. Andrew's, joining Blackburn with hours left in the window after playing just 91 minutes of competitive action across the campaign's opening month.

Since reuniting with Ismael, the former England Under-20 international has certainly made one of Rovers' midfield spots his own, starting in 12 of his first 13 appearances for the East Lancashire outfit.

As such, it has been reported by Birmingham Live that Blackburn have initiated talks with the Second City outfit over the possibility of a permanent deal, with the aforementioned loan agreement between the divisional rivals including an option-to-buy clause.

The report also states that there is even a strong possibility that such developments will take place in the upcoming transfer window, rather than the end of the season.

Fresh Taylor Gardner-Hickman, Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City developments make sense

Given the varying factors associated with this deal, it is certainly one which makes sense for all parties, and one which will definitely satisfy Blackburn if they are to finalise an agreement in January rather than holding out until the summer.

Some potentially had debated whether a recall was on the cards for Birmingham given his previous stint at right-back, especially when taking into account the fact that Ethan Laird is sidelined until February with a hamstring issue, whilst Bright Osayi-Samuel will soon feature at the African Cup of Nations with Nigeria.

However, such talk was almost quashed when natural full-back, Alfons Sampsted, featured in place of Osayi-Samuel as a substitute in Blues' 2-1 success against Watford on Monday night.