Birmingham City have been linked with a bid for soon-to-be free agent Luke Ayling, after his contract with Leeds United expires.
Birmingham City have been linked with defender Luke Ayling ahead of the summer transfer window, although they would need to remain in the Championship to keep him at St Andrew’s. Ayling is now on loan at Middlesbrough until the end of the season, but his contract with Leeds United will expire this summer, allowing him to become a free agent and pursue the next chapter of his career.
Ayling had lost his place in the starting XI at promotion-chasing Leeds United under Daniel Farke, and he was given the opportunity to join Championship rivals Boro midway through the season; since then, he has been a regular in Michael Carrick’s side; the right-back, who turns 33 in August, spent seven and a half years at Elland Road and made over 250 appearances for the Whites.
Since arriving at the Riverside, however, Ayling has been relied on by Carrick, whose Boro side has enjoyed some excellent form in recent weeks despite missing out on a play-off spot; he has appeared 18 times, completing 90 minutes in all but four of those appearances, one of which was the recent defeat to Leeds, in which he was ineligible to play against his parent club.
If the Blues stay in the division, which will require a non-negotiable victory over Norwich City next Saturday and outcomes elsewhere – including Plymouth Argyle, Blackburn Rovers, and Sheffield Wednesday – to go their way, they will need to make some recruitment decisions. Cody Drameh, Ayling’s Leeds teammate and former right-back understudy, is also out of contract, but it is unclear whether the Blues would pursue a permanent signing.
If they opt not to offer Drameh a contract, Ethan Laird will be the club’s sole senior right-back on the books, and the club will have to look at full-back transfers again this summer. at that sense, Ayling would provide expertise and competition at the right-back position – but the Blues would inevitably face competition in that case.
According to The Sun, Sheffield United, who were relegated from the Premier League on Saturday after a crushing defeat at Newcastle United, are also looking for a full-back and could offer Ayling the chance to stay in Yorkshire. Boro have also offered Ayling regular Championship football since his January transfer.
Back in March, following Boro’s 1-0 victory over Blues at St Andrew’s, Carrick said of Ayling: “You’re constantly playing for something, and as things stand, that’s certainly what comes next. Looking at him, that is not at the front of his mind at all. He’s all in, anxious to succeed and win games for us. We will see. That will play out in the coming months.
With six assists, Ayling has helped to Boro’s recent success, living true to his reputation as a marauding full-back who has an impact on opposition teams. Boro have won six and drawn four of their last 11 league games, with the only defeat coming in a frantic 4-3 loss to Leeds recently, which, as previously stated, Ayling was not authorized to participate in.
