Birmingham City sanction first transfer of the summer as Norwich City flier is linked

Birmingham City are interested in Norwich City’s Przemysław Płacheta, according to reports in the winger’s native Poland. Website Meczyki claims Blues are keen on a loan with a view to purchase in 2023.

However, reporter Tomasz Włodarczyk says the 24-year-old also has offers from ‘outside the UK’, having fallen down the pecking order at Carrow Road. Płacheta first joined the Canaries in the summer of 2020 in a deal claimed to be worth around €3million.

He made 26 Championship appearances in his first season as Daniel Farke led Norwich back to the Premier League but only 11 in the top flight last term as Farke was replaced by Dean Smith. He comes into the summer with hopes of representing Poland in the Qatar World Cup but with plenty of competition for places at club level.

Smith has several options on the flanks – but lots of decisions to make too with speculation regarding the future, not only of Placheta but Christos Tzolis and former Blues loanee Onel Hernandez.

Płacheta, who can play on either wing, started his career in Poland before spending time with RB Leipzig. He returned to Poland in 2018 and rose through the leagues before making his breakthrough at Śląsk Wrocław,

He scored eight goals in 34 matches for the Ekstraklasa outfit and is claimed to have recorded the highest speed, 35.22 km / h, of any player in the 2019/2020 campaign – at the end of which he moved to Norwich. He has made seven appearances for the Polish national team, including three in the Poles’ World Cup qualification campaign.

A flying winger, born in Łowicz in central Poland in March 1998. He comes from an athletic family, with his brother Marcin a former youth European champion in the 4x100 meters relay and an Olympic bobsleigh racer.