Birmingham City are weighing up a summer move for Bristol City midfielder Max Bird, with the 25-year-old identified as a potential solution to the club's midfield shortage, BirminghamLive understands.
Blues have long admired Bird, who has just 12 months remaining on his contract at Ashton Gate. That situation could make him available at a reduced fee this summer, offering Birmingham an affordable option to strengthen their engine room.
Davies admits midfield need
Manager Chris Davies confirmed last week that he wants to add another midfielder to his squad, and that requirement has become more pressing after Taylor Gardner-Hickman suffered an injury.
As things stand, Blues have only Jhon Solis, Tomoki Iwata and Paik Seung-ho available in midfield, and Paik has missed pre-season. That leaves the squad short in a key area as the new campaign approaches.
Bird's profile and experience
Bird is a central midfielder by trade and would slot into one of the two deeper midfield roles in Davies' preferred 4-2-3-1 system. However, he has also played further forward on occasions, most recently starting Bristol City's Carabao Cup defeat to Walsall last week in the number 10 position.
Despite being only 25, Bird has already racked up 162 Championship appearances for Bristol City and his boyhood club Derby County. He made his Derby debut in 2017 as a 16-year-old, playing 81 minutes of a 3-2 defeat to Barnsley in the Carabao Cup, before making his first Championship appearance the following year.
Connections and move to Bristol
Bird briefly played alongside current Blues coach Tom Huddlestone while both were in the Derby first team. He joined Bristol City in 2024, and his contract situation now makes him an attractive prospect for Birmingham as they look to bolster their options in the middle of the park.
