There is a belief that Jordan James could end up pushing for a transfer to Atalanta in the last few days of the transfer window, as Birmingham City refuse to budge from their €10m asking price.
That’s according to Gazzetta dello Sport, who point out that time is running out for the Serie A side, but that doesn’t mean it won’t work in their favour.
Atalanta are still wanting some sort of discount, and the hope is Birmingham’s stance will change ‘from Monday’, all depending on how they fare against Leicester in the FA Cup over the weekend.
The fact they could lose that game against the Championship leaders and their position in the table means the environment at St Andrew’s may not be ‘completely peaceful’, and that also may be why they don’t want to let James go without finding a ‘suitable replacement’ first.
Their sticking to the €10m asking price currently seems ‘impervious to any negotiation’, but James could change that.
Gazzetta explain that after this weekend’s game, the midfielder may see that the move from the Championship to a team fighting for a place in the Champions League is ‘about to disappear’.
That’s when ‘something could happen’, and the belief in Bergamo is that ‘patience is needed’ in a sprint for a signing that now ‘seems more like a chess challenge’.
