Birmingham City are confident of signing Arsenal’s Omar Rekik on loan, despite sources in the local media previously denying their interest.

Chris Wheatley reports for NationalWorld TV that Birmingham City are highly interested in signing Omar Rekik on loan, and they’re confident they’ll be able to do so very soon.

FC Basel in Switzerland also expressed an interest in Rekik, which has delayed the Birmingham deal, but the Championship move now looks the most likely option.

AfricaFoot reporter Mahmoud Missaoui had previously written that Rekik was looking for a summer loan, and that Birmingham City were currently the closest club to securing a move.

Missaoui claimed Arsenal and Rekik believe a loan in the Championship will be the most beneficial option for the player, and that an agreement wasn’t far off.

Yet Birmingham-based sources have so far denied the links. BirminghamLive reported that they’ve been informed Rekik isn’t currently on the Blues’ agenda, and the club are in fact more interested in bringing Auston Trusty back.

Trusty spent time on loan from Arsenal last season, winning Birmingham City’s Supporters’ Player of the Season award after a strong campaign.

Rekik has a deal with Arsenal until 2025, so if the reports indicating a move to Birmingham turn out to be correct, then another season on loan would still leave him under contract upon his return.

Rekik started out the 2022/23 campaign on loan with Sparta Rotterdam, but after struggling for consistent minutes with the Dutch side, he was recalled and loaned to Wigan Athletic in January.

Rekik played 11 times for Wigan, making 10 starts, and from March until the end of the season he never had more than one consecutive game out of the team.

The defender seemed to make a good impression with the club, and he needs a consistent run of games regardless of his destination this summer.