Could this be a win-win situation for both parties?
According to this morning’s Football Insider report, Liverpool are willing to sanction a permanent exit for central defender Rhys Williams during the summer transfer window.
This comes as no surprise given his struggles at former loan clubs Swansea City and Blackpool, where he was recalled from during the January transfer window.
Despite having previously appeared for the Merseyside club’s senior team on several occasions, the Reds aren’t including him in their plans and don’t see him as someone who could make a full first-team breakthrough, according to this report.
Several Championship clubs are reportedly interested in signing him as the summer transfer window approaches, and Birmingham City could be one of them, given the possibility of several departures in central defense at the end of the season.
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Both Dion Sanderson and Auston Trusty are set to return to their parent clubs, and while Wolverhampton Wanderers are willing to sell the former, the previous £3 million asking price may be too high for John Eustace’s side.
It remains to be seen whether that price tag comes down – but Eustace faces the prospect of needing to bring in several central defenders with Harlee Dean, George Friend, and Kevin Long all out of contract in the summer, as well as Nico Gordon.
Maxime Colin’s contract expires in a few months, emphasizing the importance of the club’s recruitment team compiling a list of targets in this area.
Birmingham have recently signed some young players on permanent contracts, including Tahith Chong and Emmanuel Longelo, and with that in mind, Williams could be viewed as a viable option for the Midlands club.
Unfortunately, he hasn’t shown enough to be a regular starter in the second tier, but that may not stop his agents from offering him to Birmingham, who are likely aware that they need to strengthen their defense in the summer.
This could give the Reds the confidence to include Williams in a deal to bring promising youngster George Hall to Anfield, with Jurgen Klopp’s side reportedly keeping tabs on the midfielder.
Klopp has given a few youngsters a chance to shine during his time on Merseyside, including Harvey Elliott and last summer’s signing Fabio Carvalho, so it’s not surprising the German went ahead and pushed for a deal.
The Reds may be confident that if they include Williams in this potential deal, they can reduce Birmingham’s asking price slightly, so it wouldn’t be surprising if a swap deal was floated as a genuine idea this summer.
This would probably be a better deal for the Premier League giants than for Birmingham, because Williams hasn’t impressed in the second tier recently, and Hall is undoubtedly an asset Eustace’s side will want to keep for a while longer.
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