Leeds United have reportedly joined the race to sign Birmingham City and Wales midfielder Jordan James.
According to Football Insider, the Whites have registered their interest in to signing James who has interest from the Premier League and Serie A. Football Insider are reporting that Leeds have a ‘strong interest’ but face competition from an unnamed Premier League team for his signature.
Last week it was reported that Ipswich Town led the race to sign James, who Birmingham want to sell for £10m or more. Atalanta remain keen on the Welsh international despite having two bids rejected in January.
Brighton, Brentford, Leicester, Newcastle United and Southampton also said to have shown an interest but it was Ipswich that are furthest ahead in the race. According to Football Insider, Birmingham might consider selling James after investing heavily in to their squad for the upcoming League One season.
The 20-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season and a departure from St Andrew’s looks likely given the amount of clubs reported to be interested in him. Despite the interest, James has got on with things as normal and has featured in their pre-season matches.
In the event James remains past the August transfer deadline, they could sell him in January, but then risk losing him on a Bosman transfer to a non-European club. If James joined an English club next summer then Birmingham could demand a significant amount of compensation after bringing him through their academy system.
