Birmingham City transfer stance clear on Rangers misfit but Russell Martin to bide his time over exits

Birmingham City have opened talks with Rangers over the possibility of signing misfit Ben Davies on a permanent transfer - but the EFL Championship side are unwilling to pay over the odds for the defender.

The centre-back, who has just 12 months remaining on his current deal at Ibrox, spent last season on loan at St Andrew’s and playing a leading role in helping the Midlands club secure the League One title and promotion back to the English second-tier.

Fellow Gers team-mate Kieran Dowell also impressed alongside Davies during his temporary spell and remains a signing target as well, but it’s understood Blues boss Chris Davies has prioritised defensive reinforcements initially.

Fans took to both players almost instantly and would love to see them return for the forthcoming campaign. However, our sister title BirminghamWorld have reported it may take around £2 million to land Davies specifically.

They state that Rangers are set to “muddy the waters” though with new head coach Russell Martin still keen to cast an eye on Davies and Dowell in pre-season training before making a decision on their futures.

The Blues are also understood to be in advanced talks with French club Rennes over the availability of ex-Celtic striker Kyogo Furuhashi, who has flopped since making a £10m January move.

Sky Sports claimed earlier this week that initial contact had been made between the two clubs to explore the conditions of a possible transfer and it’s now suggest that a deal worth up to that exact fee is being discussed.

Turkish club want to ‘part ways’ with ex Rangers duo

In other news, Trabzonspor are reportedly open to parting ways former Rangers duo Borna Barisic and John Lundstram this summer as they look to improve on a disappointing seventh-placed finish last season and a crushing 3-0 defeat to Galatasaray in the Turkish Cup final.

According to local outlet Karadenizgazete, the Super Lig side want to move both players on before the start of the new campaign after two years at the club.

Full-back Barisic, who has struggled for game time, spent the second half of last term on loan at Leganes in Spain. The report suggests Trabzonspor could pay around €1.8million to terminate his contract, which still has 12 months to run.

Central midfielder Lundstram, meanwhile, has two years remaining on his deal and would need to be sold permanently. He has made 44 appearances for the club and it’s claimed he has ‘multiple offers’ on the table from clubs in the Middle East.