‘Never A Serious Target’ – Move For Birmingham City Star Dismissed | OneFootball

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Birmingham City striker Marvin Ducksch will not be joining Bundesliga club Augsburg, with the German having ‘never been a serious target’ for them.

The 32-year-old’s first campaign away from Germany could hardly have gone more smoothly, with the striker quickly establishing himself as a key figure after arriving at St Andrew’s from Werder Bremen on a three-year contract last August.

Under Chris Davies, the forward featured 36 times in all competitions, contributing eleven goals and two assists to finish level with Jay Stansfield as Birmingham City’s leading scorer.

However, Birmingham City’s promotion push faded in the closing months of the season, with the Blues ultimately finishing tenth, a disappointing outcome that is understood to have left Ducksch keen to explore a move elsewhere.

The Blues frontman has attracted interest from Germany, with Hertha Berlin making enquiries last month and both Wolfsburg and Augsburg also linked with the striker.

Augsburg’s interest stemmed largely from uncertainty surrounding Michael Gregoritsch, who enjoyed an impressive loan spell last season, with doubts remaining over whether the club would activate their option to sign him permanently.

Those doubts appear to have been resolved, with the Bundesliga side expected to trigger their €500,000 option for the Brondby forward and bolster an attack that already includes Rodrigo Ribeiro and Uchenna Ogundu.

According to Germany daily the Augsburger Allgemeine, the Birmingham City frontman is not under consideration by the Bavarian side and it is suggested he was ‘never a serious target’ for the club.

Alongside Ducksch, Bayern Munich prospect Arijon Ibrahimovic was also explored as a potential option to spearhead Augsburg’s attack, although the financial package required to land the youngster ultimately proved a stumbling block.

Birmingham City’s failure to secure promotion is understood to have triggered a non-promotion release clause worth around €1m, a figure that has inevitably alerted a number of interested clubs to the striker’s availability.

The German sides are not alone in their admiration, with AEK Athens and Real Sociedad also monitoring the 32-year-old’s situation ahead of the summer window.

While Blues would be reluctant to lose a Championship-proven striker, any club willing to trigger his release clause could leave them with little room to manoeuvre.

Should Ducksch depart, Birmingham City could find themselves back in the market for a replacement as they look to maintain their promotion ambitions heading into the new season.