Kyogo likely to leave Birmingham City in summer: Swansea City and Sheffield United must be on red alert | OneFootball

FLW takes a look at two EFL clubs who should take an interest in Kyogo Furuhashi this summer with his Birmingham exit looking likely.

For Kyogo Furuhashi, the 2025/26 Championship campaign has been nothing short of a disaster, with the Birmingham City forward finding life in England's second tier extremely difficult following his summer transfer.

Blues signed the former Celtic man from French outfit Stade Rennais following their promotion back to the Championship, with the two clubs agreeing a fee of around £10m for the Japanese star. However, he has not kicked on.

He has failed to be a threat in front of goal, with it taking until gameweek 28 for the 31-year-old to finally find the back of the net, and his only goal in blue-and-white came against Sheffield Wednesday - a side who were relegated at the end of February.

Now, Football Insider have reported that Kyogo is looking likely to leave Birmingham this summer, and Football League World has picked out two Championship clubs who could sanction a deal for the forward in the upcoming transfer window.

Swansea City

Swansea City have had an up-and-down campaign, and while they have pushed themselves out of immediate danger of relegation, they have also struggled to make ground on those sides in the play-off places, and it seems incredibly likely that they will start next season in the Championship.

However, they may start 2026/27 without top scorer Zan Vipotnik, with the 23-year-old likely to attract suitors from both the top flight and across Europe after scoring 16 goals in his first 33 games of the current season with the Swans.

While Kyogo has not got anywhere near the goals to match those of the Slovenian, it is vital that they identify a replacement or two early, and the Japan international could be that, especially if another, more natural goalscorer is found to partner him. And, with the player having previously been linked with a move to South Wales, they may well rekindle their interest.

Swansea are in need of a statement signing this summer as they look to show the rest of the Championship their new international image with Snoop Dogg an investor, and this could be the perfect way to start the summer for a side looking to push on to the play-offs.

Sheffield United

Sheffield United still have a chance of making the Championship play-offs, but with the form of those in the top six right now, it is very much an outside chance, and they may have to settle for a mid-table finish following their shocking start to 2025/26.

Patrick Bamford has added plenty of quality to the forward line at Bramall Lane this season, but they are still in more need of adding further power to that for next season. Therefore, bringing Kyogo in could be an excellent way for Chris Wilder to find that missing link, with the player someone who can play in multiple forward positions.

Sheffield United may lose key players in the summer, such as Gustavo Hamer, if they do not win promotion to the Premier League and this may give them ample room to spend in the transfer window, and the Japanese star should be on their radar.

It is unknown how much Birmingham will ask for the 31-year-old, but it seems likely that they will lose a significant portion of the £10m that they paid for him, and the Blades should move in quickly to ensure that they win any ensuing transfer battle.

He would be the ample replacement for Tyrese Campbell in the starting XI, with the ex-Stoke City man another player who does not regularly find himself on the scoresheet, all while giving much-needed depth.