Birmingham City told to explore £10m Man United deal | OneFootball

FLW's Blues fan pundit has praised Radek Vitek as the goalkeeper could return to the Championship

After a slow start to the summer transfer window, Birmingham City, much like other Championship clubs, are starting to pick up the pace in terms of activity.

Blues have been viewed as big spenders for the vast majority of Knighthead Capital Management's ownership in the West Midlands.

Such developments were further backed up by two high-profile recruitment drives in the summer and winter windows of 2025/26, but this only yielded a 10th-placed finish last term for Chris Davies' side.

And, as of the end of July, Birmingham have now recruited as many as five new signings with the Championship season two weeks away.

James Beadle and Jhon Solis have returned to St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park after prior loan spells, albeit the England youth international moved to B9 on yet another temporary agreement from Brighton, whilst Dael Fry, Kristoffer Lund and Luis Vazquez have also put pen-to-paper on permanent deals.

Given how modern football works, it is well-known that clubs are linked with players well in advance of a deal being finalised.

As such, Football League World quizzed our Blues fan pundit, Jason Moore, as to which 'unlinked' player he would love the club to have made a move for.

Birmingham City disappointment raised on potential Radek Vitek transfer

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The aforementioned Beadle, of course, was a mainstay as Blues goalkeeper from October onwards last season, but earned mixed reviews after replacing Ryan Allsop, keeping eight clean sheets in 35 matches.

His loan swoop came after Davies revealed that Birmingham would look to invest greater sums of money in other departments, but Moore has revealed that he wishes the club pushed to sign Radek Vitek from Manchester United in some form.

"It's probably a name I've thrown about this summer, but (I would love to sign) Radek Vitek," said Moore.

"I thought he was absolute quality for Bristol City last season, and he's at an incredible age where he's already ready for first-team football.

"He's come through a quality academy in Man Utd. He's the one I wanted and still the one I want," he stated.

"I'd be happy to see James Beadle as back-up and have him as our first-choice goalkeeper.

"For me, he puts confidence in your defence, he's a solid shot-stopper, and if you want to play out from the back, he can do it if he needs to.

"I'm astounded that I've only seen one club strongly linked with him all summer," Moore claimed.

"I'm slightly disappointed we haven't explored it, unless we have in the background and we don't know."

Radek Vitek's Bristol City stint showcased his qualities

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As Moore stated, the Czech goalkeeper was one of the standout goalkeepers in last season's Championship, even if his contributions alone were not enough for the Robins to push towards the play-offs for a second successive season.

The 22-year-old had never played at such a level before in his career despite coming through the Old Trafford ranks, but after sealing a new contract with the Red Devils until 2028, registered a total of 12 clean sheets.

Such a tally was only beaten by Carl Rushworth, Christian Walton and Sol Brynn, with all three of those goalkeepers representing promoted Coventry City and Ipswich Town, as well as play-off finalists, Middlesbrough respectively.

Furthermore, Vitek's save percentage of 71.3% and a prevention of over five goals proves that Bristol City's drop in form post-January could have been significantly worse, and that could, in the future, be invaluable for a side chasing a Premier League dream such as Birmingham.

A move for Radek Vitek would be costly for Birmingham City

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Prior to the completion of Beadle's second loan spell at the club, Birmingham were also linked with a swoop for Aaron Escandell of Real Oviedo, proving that the need to sign a goalkeeper was there.

It now remains to be seen if further movement in this department is made, with Allsop and Brad Mayo still part of Davies' goalkeepers' union.

A move for Vitek would also be fairly costly for the club, with it being claimed in May that United were willing to sanction a permanent exit in the region of £10m after also earning praise from compatriot and former Chelsea goalkeeper, Petr Cech.

Meanwhile, in recent days, Middlesbrough have also shown an interest in the shot-stopper, which many would feel is an upgrade on the aforementioned Brynn when taking several factors into account.

However, it is understandable why Vitek's signature has been courted by clubs, as well as appearing on the wishlist of supporters of many sides in the Championship.