Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has now revealed the latest on the future of Birmingham City star Jordan James.
When a teenage sensation breaks onto the scene at Championship level, the attention of other clubs will instantly be drawn towards the player.
After all, there is so much value in signing a youngster for cheap and developing them into a world-beating talent.
In the case of Birmingham’s Jordan James, the 19-year-old is attracting interest from a whole host of clubs.
Earlier on in the window, the Blues rejected multiple bids from Serie A side Atalanta, believed to be in the region of 5 million (£4.2 million) plus add-ons.
Birmingham have remained resolute on their £10 million price tag, but that hasn’t stopped the likes of Crystal Palace and Wolves from approaching the player.
As we exclusively revealed, the club are unlikely to sell so late on in the window, even if their valuation is met, and HITC Football’s Graeme Bailey believes that he could stay beyond the summer.
Fabrizio Romano has now also provided an update on the youngster’s future.
Fabrizio Romano says it has to be a ‘very good’ proposal for Jordan James to depart
Palace’s interest in James is no surprise. In recent years, the Eagles have preferred to target up-and-coming talent with the hope of developing them into valuable stars.
Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze are both prime examples having joined from Championship clubs and are now crucial players in Roy Hodgson’s side.
Although Palace have shown a ‘concrete interest’ in the Birmingham youngster, Romano believes that it would take a ‘very good’ proposal for the club to consider selling their prized possession.
Speaking to GiveMeSport, he said: “Interest is concrete, the player is appreciated by Crystal Palace and Wolves, and both clubs are interested in him. He would be keen on a move to the Premier League because obviously, it could be a good opportunity for him. It’s important to say that Birmingham don’t have the intention to let him go in the final days. So it has to be a very good proposal. Otherwise, it’s not going to be easy.”
Massive news for Birmingham
Heading into the final days of the transfer window, supporters would have been anxious to hear about the future of James.
Following these latest updates, however, the Blues now have hope that their star in the making will stay at the club beyond this window, and perhaps even for years to come.
Given the track record that Tony Mowbray has with developing young players, James is in the right place to continue his development.
He’s played an integral role in Birmingham’s engine room, scoring six goals in 26 Championship appearances, and was rare shining light in Wayne Rooney’s tenure.
The youngster has already racked up 89 appearances for the club, despite still being in his teens, and it’s scary to think how good he could become while working under Mowbray.