Birmingham City and Wolves set for collision course on potential transfer

Championship outfit Birmingham City want to recruit Matija Sarkic on a permanent basis but Wolverhampton Wanderers are unwilling to sell him, according to an update from Birmingham Live.

The 24-year-old plied his trade at St Andrew’s last season, impressing during the first half of the season before a dislocated shoulder in January ruled him out for the remainder of the 2021/22 campaign.

Although Neil Etheridge came back in as a reliable option for the West Midlands side, this was a real blow for Lee Bowyer’s side who had seen Sarkic establish himself as one of their best players during the early stages of the term.

With this, it’s no surprise that Birmingham are interested in recruiting the shot-stopper once more and with Connal Trueman departing the club this summer, a first-team spot has opened up for the Montenegro international.

In a potential boost for Sarkic, Bowyer is set to remain at the helm in the Midlands despite intense speculation surrounding his future towards the end of 2021/22, with some outlets even believing he would be sacked at the end of the term.

Despite this, he has been instructed to carry on and could potentially make a formal approach for the 24-year-old again, with Sarkic stepping up admirably in the absence of Etheridge who took a while to recover from Covid-19 after being hospitalised with the virus.

However, a loan deal may be the most realistic option at this stage with Bruno Lage’s men unwilling to part ways with the goalkeeper on a longer-term basis.

The Verdict:

Birmingham look set to utilise the loan market again anyway considering they are likely to be working within a limited budget, so pursuing another temporary move for Sarkic may not be the worst move for them.

However, they would