Serie A new boys Sassuolo have revived their interest in Blues keeper Aro Muric and are closing in on a loan deal for the Kosovo international, according to a report in Italy.
Sky Sports Italia are reporting that Sassuolo are near to agreeing a loan for the season ahead plus an option to buy for €10 million (£8.7 million).
Last season’s Serie B champions were initially mentioned in connection with a move for Muric early last month.
However, earlier in the week, the 26-year-old had been strongly linked with a loan move to Turkish Süper Lig side Çaykur Rizespor with reports there claiming the move was making strong progress.
Asked about Muric’s situation at Wednesday’s press conference, manager Kieran McKenna said: "There’s interest from different leagues, different teams, different divisions. I don’t think there’s anything to confirm.
"We’ll look at each situation, each offer as they come in and we’ll see if anything comes of any of it.”
Early last week, Muric was dropped from the number one shirt to the number 49, something which illustrated that he isn’t in McKenna’s plans for the campaign ahead.
The Swiss-born keeper, who has also been linked with AS Monaco this summer, endured a tough first season at Portman Road having signed from Burnley for £8 million plus £2 million in add-ons in July last year.
Muric’s 2024/25 was ended prematurely by a shoulder injury which required surgery and his only involvement in pre-season was as a half-time sub in the 2-1 victory over Charlton at Colchester and he wasn’t in the squad at Birmingham on Friday.