Birmingham City are reported to be ready to make an improved bid for Blues keeper Bartosz Bialkowski.

As reported earlier in the week, Town turned down a £2.75 million offer from Garry Monk’s club for the 31-year-old.

Now, according to HITC Sport, they are set to offer the Blues £3 million for the Polish international.

Birmingham’s situation is complicated by reports that they are currently subject to a transfer embargo, which both the club and the EFL are refusing to comment upon. The two parties are believed to be in talks aimed at resolving the issue.

Reports elsewhere are linking Birmingham with a shock move for Manchester City’s Joe Hart. The odds of the England goalkeeper returning to the club where he was on loan early in his career are as low as 2-1 with one bookie.

Birmingham already have David Stockdale and Tomasz Kuszczak on their books but both have been told they can move on this summer.

Town are keen to keep hold of Bialkowski but the former Southampton and Notts County man has only a year left on his contract, the Blues having taken up an option to keep him for a further season at the end of the last campaign.

But Bialkowski is still to put pen to paper on the new deal ex-boss Mick McCarthy said had been agreed in January.

Speaking in April, the keeper said his agent was continuing to talk to owner Marcus Evans regarding the new terms.

We understand Evans wants Bialkowski, who is currently away from the club following the World Cup, tied down to a new deal rather than risk losing him for what would be a cut-price fee this summer or in January, or for nothing this time next year when he would be a free agent. Talks are expected to resume shortly.

Summer interest in Bialkowski, Town’s Player of the Year for the last three seasons, had been widely expected due to his contract situation and with Crystal Palace - whose interest we understand has cooled more recently - having targeted him in January.

Meanwhile, a crowd of 5,400 watched England's 2-1 World Cup semi-final defeat to Croatia in the FanZone at Portman Road.

Photo: TWTD

Len_Brennan added 15:15 - Jul 12 I like TractorBoyTommy & look forward to more of his posts over the next week, maybe week & a half. We're all a bit deflated & perhaps feeling somewhat negative about football today, so it's good to get a bit of comic relief on here & not take ourselves too seriously. Tommy is just the tonic we need to help get us back on track and into a positive frame of mind. So it's a big 'thank you Tommy' from me.

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Bubsy added 15:20 - Jul 12 One of the best keepers in the Champ's and would cut it in the prem(no doubt). If we sell him would need to be 5 mill + to a club who are sound(financially) . If we need to find another, no scraping around for names we dont know...got to be as good as Bart - which aint going to be easy.
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toxtethblue added 15:27 - Jul 12 3 mil and Stockdale would do just fine, but I'd rather we kept Bart. Mr Evans needs to step up... (+++++++ Oh FFS, 'Mr Evans!!' He's been the main cause of a decades stagnation!! He must love you lot...
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TractorBoyTommy added 15:33 - Jul 12 @blue90 there off field situation isnt as bad as everyone is making it out to be, its more of a misunderstanding between the foreign owners and the EFL. But sky sources are saying this will be resolved shortly. They have money to spend they signed a left back for over £2 million, had a £5 million bid for Lewis Grabban rejected and are believed to be after Brit Assombalonga who is valued at £15 million. Regarding the knocking on the window in Birmingham, maybe you took a wrong turning and and was met by one of the peaky blinders!

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FromIpswichToPhoenix added 15:36 - Jul 12 Next they'll up to £3,000,047.29
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leftie1972 added 16:02 - Jul 12 The whole transfer embargo needs clearing up first before a SERIOUS bid is entertained and by that I mean at least 5-6 mil.
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cranky_old_tractor added 17:12 - Jul 12 Jackanory........move on. More concerned that we are not being linked with the players we need
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Swn98 added 17:18 - Jul 12 Welcome to dysfunctional ITFC Mr Hurst and good luck,last night i fell back in love with footall now all i can see is misery hope im wrong.
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htb added 17:30 - Jul 12 Obviously like all Ipswich fans would want to see Bart stay. However if he is not prepared to sign the new contract he was evidently prepared to sign in April we need to sell him for the highest amount possible in this transfer window. It would be a disaster (like we have seen before) if we let one of our most saleable assets go for free next year.
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dirtydingusmagee added 17:55 - Jul 12 The silly season is in full swing, Dread looking for news on here now. Beginning to get fed up before the season even starts .
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buryblue77 added 18:09 - Jul 12 £3.5m and Stockdale or £5m and Kuszczak. One has already been here and the other was linked with a move here a few years back. I'd rather have Stockdale out of the two if this was the transfer arrangement.
1

Ipswichbusiness added 18:19 - Jul 12 I am as worried about the lack of incoming players as the possible outgoing ones. The minimum we need is two centre-backs and a winger with little sign of them and the season due to start shortly.
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floridaboy added 18:35 - Jul 12 When Bart returns to training next week Hurst needs to ask him one question. 'do you want to stay?' If the answer is no then sell him to whoever wants him and move on. 4 weeks to the start of the season and we need to have a keeper in place who actually wants to play for us. Not mess the club about. The contract is sitting on the desk, either sign it or go!
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BlueandTruesince82 added 18:38 - Jul 12 If Birmingham stump up 15 mil for Assombolonga I'll present match of the day in a mankini
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Talbs77 added 20:15 - Jul 12 Why would he want to sign for a club that finished below us and about to allegedly have a transfer embargo imposed on them? I think he will go and can feel a bidding war brewing. I wouldn't let him go for anything less than £4M. Worrying that so far this pre season all we've mainly seen is players going out rather than coming in.
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Dog added 20:41 - Jul 12 Stockdale is poor and overweight. Secondly, any club that is investing in players has to be a better proposition than ours at the moment. If Bart is asked "do you want to be here" he should just reply "is marcus pocketing the 4.5 million again and purchasing freebies and loans?". 22 days to close of window. Hurst wanted players in early for pre-season. Well thats not happening. The whole situation is a joke. Have the number of season tickets sold been released??

5

Northstandveteran added 20:55 - Jul 12 Ah, swn, Your positive posts always bring a slight a smile to my face. But must you live so relentlessly in the real world?
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ArnieM added 21:09 - Jul 12 Think it might at last be dawning on some people that Bart has no intention of staying. Hallelujah ! He never has done , he's playing his Ace card now in his final year. How predictable was that then.
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oioihardy added 21:45 - Jul 12 Let Bart go for 3 mil we will take Stockdale back then that's a fair deal to me
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Popeye added 06:41 - Jul 13 Personally would be disappointed if he signs for them. Would suggest it's about money and not ambition because Birmingham wouldn't be a step up career wise imho.
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Oldozblue added 07:15 - Jul 13 Why has he not signed already? Either he wants a Premier League Club or the money could be better here. If a Premier League Club offers - he is gone. If not either Evans ups his wages or he sticks around and gets a free at the end of this season. Cannot see the point of his moving to Birmingham as he could probably make more long term via the free in 2019. So Evans is cutting off his nose to spite his face by not making him a wages offer he can accept to stay here now.

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GiveusaWave added 07:49 - Jul 13 @oldozblue We have no idea what type of contract he's been offered. He likes the area, is popular with fans, enjoys playing for the club and his family are settled. It makes you wonder what he's actually been offered....
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bobble added 08:19 - Jul 13 who the hell in their right mind would choose the midlands over Suffolk ? it would be like leaving Byron bay to live in Bourke...
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Razor added 10:42 - Jul 13 Let the manager sort this out when he actually MEETS the player in person
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dalinghooblue added 10:47 - Jul 13 In today's market, Bart is worth a lot more than £3 million, and certainly a lot more to us. We should reject this derisory offer. Why the hell should we subsidise our rivals?
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