How much Birmingham City or Norwich City may have to pay Liel Abada in wages | OneFootball

Birmingham City and Norwich City are both reportedly interested in former Celtic winger Liel Abada this summer

Birmingham City and Norwich City have both had seasons of varying degrees of success, but ultimately, both will be facing each other in the Championship once again next campaign after each secured a mid-table finish.

On the whole, both Birmingham and Norwich will be disappointed with their finish in the table this season, but both will be hoping to have much stronger campaigns next time around.

Birmingham, fresh off the back of an EFL point record year in League One, were hoping to carry that momentum into the second tier and fight towards the very top of the table, whilst Norwich, having just poached Liam Manning from Bristol City, were hoping to do similar and fight in and around the top six.

As it happened, the Blues were unable to sustain a meaningful push for the top six, ultimately finishing in 10th, whilst Norwich endured a horrendous start to the season, but were rescued by the arrival of Philippe Clement, who guided the Canaries to a comfortable 9th.

Both will be looking to kick on next time around, as the duo have seen themselves linked with a move for former Celtic winger Liel Abada this summer, and how much they may have to pay to lure the 24-year-old to England has been revealed.

How much Birmingham City and Norwich may have to pay Liel Abada has been revealed

Abada spent two-and-a-half years in the United Kingdom with Celtic, having initially joined the Hoops from his native Israel in the summer of 2021 from Maccabi Petah Tikva.

The winger made 112 appearances across all competitions during his time at Parkhead, scoring 29 and assisting 22, and left in March for around £8 million to join MLS side Charlotte, managed by former Aston Villa and Brentford boss Dean Smith.

However, since moving to North Carolina, Abada has struggled to hit the heights he is thought to be capable of reaching, with a largely uninspiring 13 goals and seven assists in 77 games for the club thus far, having failed to score this campaign yet.

He could be set for a return to the UK sooner rather than later, with both Coventry City and Swansea City having also previously held an interest in the Israeli as recently as January, though Birmingham and Norwich are the two most recently linked.

If either club wants to bring him back to the British Isles, they will likely need to convince the 24-year-old to take somewhat of a pay cut, with his estimated wage of £34,247 per week with Charlotte, as per Capology, likely too high for either side to stump up.

Whilst Birmingham are almost certainly capable of reaching that ballpark, whether they would be willing to do so for Abada remains to be seen, as the 18-capped Israel international would likely need to take a hit on his current wage to facilitate a move to the English Championship.

His wage will likely create a stumbling block in any move taking place, but if Birmingham or Norwich want to lure him to the second tier, then they must meet his rough wage demands to do so.

Liel Abada's wages could be too steep for Birmingham and Norwich to match

According to estimates from Capology, Birmingham have five players on £30k per week and above, namely Carlos Vicente, Kyogo Furuhashi, Patrick Roberts, Demarai Gray, and Kai Wagner.

The Blues have a plethora of wide options to choose from, including Vicente, Roberts, and Gray, and with Ibrahim Osman returning to Brighton and Hove Albion from his loan, a vacancy out wide will be opened, which Abada could fill.

Birmingham probably wouldn't struggle to facilitate his wage demands, but may have to make cuts elsewhere to ensure they comply with the financial rules in place.

Norwich have three players on £30k per week and above, as per estimates from Capology, namely Jack Stacey, Mathias Kvistgaarden, and Shane Duffy, the latter of whom will be leaving at the end of the month, freeing up those wages.

Though with Ali Ahmed, Oscar Schwartau, Forson Amakwah, Ante Crnac, and Matej Jurasek as current wide options, one or two likely must leave to allow a move for Abada to happen.

Whether the Israeli is open to a return to the UK remains to be seen, but what is certain is that he won't come cheap.