--- source: thedugout.football generated: 2026-07-24T19:02:35.853Z last_updated: 2026-07-23T12:09:51+00:00 data_provider: API-Football canonical: https://thedugout.football/clubs/derby-county/news/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVyYnl0ZWxlZ3JhcGguY28udWsvc3BvcnQvZm9vdGJhbGwvZm9vdGJhbGwtbmV3cy9kZXJieS1jb3VudHktdHJhbnNmZXJzLXNhbS1zem1vZGljcy0xMTA3MzUzMA --- # Birmingham City stance on Sam Szmodics as Blues linked with Derby County hijack - **Source:** - **Published:** 23 Jul - **Club:** Derby County - **Original URL:** https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/derby-county-transfers-sam-szmodics-11073530 Birmingham City are not looking to hijack Derby County's pursuit of Sammie Szmodics after they were linked with a move for the attacker. Derby are currently pursuing a deal for the former Blackburn Rovers striker with John Eustace keen to be reunited with the Republic of Ireland international. Szmodics spent the latter half of last season on loan at Pride Park from parent club Ipswich Town, a spell that returned three goals and one assist in 13 appearances. With Ipswich having secured promotion to the Premier League, Szmodics' future looks away from Portman Road, with Derby currently in talks over a move, although it remains to be seen whether it is a loan or permanent deal. Birmingham were also linked with an interest in the Republic of Ireland international, but it has since emerged that they are not actively chasing his signature, reports Birmingham Live. Currently, Blues have Jay Stansfield as the most natural candidate to play behind first-choice striker August Priske, though Marvin Ducksch remains at the club despite currently being sidelined through injury. Kanya Fujimoto has also featured in that position during pre-season, but received limited opportunities under Chris Davies last term following his arrival the previous summer. With Kyogo Furuhashi having departed for LA Galaxy, Blues will need to strengthen in central attacking areas, though it appears Szmodics will not be the man to fill that void. That leaves Derby in the driving seat with Szmodics thought to be keen on a switch back to Derby after he enjoyed his time at the club last season. Eustace is a big fan of the attacker who scored more than 30 goals for his Blackburn team in the 2023/24 season which earned him a switch to the Premier League. Ipswich paid £9m to sign him from Blackburn and had been holding out for £6m when Derby enquired about him in January. However, Derby refused to do a deal at that price and in the end, Szmodics moved late on deadline day with the Rams signing a deal sheet before the deadline to enable them to complete the remaining formalities of the move. Should a deal be wrapped up for Szmodics, he would be among the club's growing list of summer signings with Bobby Clark having returned on a permanent deal from RB Salzburg. Former Leeds defender Charlie Taylor joined on a free transfer after leaving Southampton and last night Derby completed the free transfer signing of Filip Bilbija. The transfer window is now open, the signings are being linked and players could be heading for the exit door at Pride Park as it promises to be a pre-season of change at the club. Every day, the DerbyshireLive football desk strive to deliver all manner of news, features and transfer-related stories as a part of our overall package of Rams content. Our dedicated reporter Leigh Curtis - who you can follow on X by clicking here - follows the Rams home and away and offers you comprehensive coverage from matchdays, press conferences and everything that happens in between. WhatsApp: You can also get all your favourite content from DerbyshireLive's Rams team on WhatsApp. Click here to sign up for breaking updates about the biggest stories in and around the club. App: If you prefer reading our Rams stories on your phone, consider downloading the DerbyshireLive app, in which you can personalise the content you see by selecting Derby County as one of your designated topics. You can get it from Apple here and for Android here. Social Media: You can also get all the latest updates by following us on social media here Facebook and X.