Crystal Palace considering a transfer raid for Birmingham City

Crystal Palace has set its sights on another promising young Championship prospect.

According to Talksport, Crystal Palace is monitoring the issue with Birmingham City’s Jordan James.

Dougie Freedman, the Premier League club’s sporting director, was in the crowd to scout the youngster last weekend.

Birmingham defeated Sunderland 2-1, with James scoring to assist the Blues secure a crucial three points.

The 19-year-old leveled around the hour mark after Jack Clarke put the visitors ahead in the first half, and Koji Miyoshi’s 80th-minute goal sealed the victory.

The playmaker has seven goals in 30 Championship outings this season.

Jordan James’ transfer interest

James was also the subject of heavy January transfer speculation, with Italian club Atalanta making repeated approaches to obtain his services.

However, Birmingham stood fast and established a £10 million asking price that the Bergamo club was unable to match.

The youngster is the latest bright talent to emerge from the Midlands club’s academy system.

However, Palace are poised to enter the fight to recruit the 19-year-old this summer, with the London club looking for another Championship player to join their team.

The second division has proven to be a lucrative resource for Palace in recent years, with Adam Wharton joining last month as the latest in a succession of arrivals from second-tier teams.

Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise are two additional Championship players who have gone on to become significant members of the Palace club.

Jordan James’ importance for Birmingham City

James has received a lot of praise for his performances for Birmingham this season, with more league starts than the previous two seasons.

He has started 16 games for the team, having made a total of 22 starts over the last two seasons.

James’ seven goals this season are only surpassed by Jay Stansfield in the Birmingham squad, which is battling to avoid relegation to League One.

Birmingham City’s league position
Birmingham are presently 15th in the Championship table, six points ahead of 22nd-place QPR.

With 14 games remaining, the Blues have gained some breathing room in the relegation battle after winning two consecutive games.
James has been a strong player for the club this year, which has seen many ups and downs both on and off the field.

The Blues’ next match is against third-place Ipswich Town at Portman Road on February 24.

Palace’s transfer strategy hits again.
Palace have made it obvious in previous years that they consider the Championship as a hotspot of fascinating young talent that they can recruit.

The arrival of Wharton last month was a continuation of this approach, which they can resume this summer with a move for James.

It would be a loss to the Blues to lose another academy graduate, but a deal worth more than £10 million might be completed.

That would be a significant sum that the club could pour back into the team to assist improve other areas.