Former Gunner Chuba Akpom is set to hold a medical with Birmingham City today, but Ipswich Town are making a very late move to hijack the transfer.
Former Arsenal striker Chuba Akpom is at the centre of a Championship transfer saga, with both Middlesbrough and Ipswich Town making last-minute attempts to prevent him signing for Birmingham City.
Akpom is currently contracted to Dutch club Ajax, but recent reports had strongly linked him with a move to Birmingham.
The proposed deal is a season-long loan, with an obligation to buy for £7m if Birmingham City are promoted to the Premier League. Akpom was penned in for a medical on Monday, August 4th.
Yet multiple clubs have tried to derail the transfer since then. Ben Jacobs reported on Sunday that Middlesbrough had made a hijack attempt to re-sign their former player, presenting an offer to Ajax. But that bid was ultimately unsuccessful.
Just when the Birmingham City move looked to be back on, Sky Sports News reported on Monday morning that Ipswich Town have made a late approach to Ajax over the signing.
Sky report that Akpom was indeed due for a medical in Birmingham on Monday, but if Ipswich can agree a late deal with Ajax then it’ll be up to the player where he ends up.
Olympiacos have also been credited with an interest this summer, after Akpom was previously very successful in Greece. The striker won the Greek Super League in 2018/19 as well as the Greek Cup – scoring the winner in the final.
At this point, it looks like the race is down to just Birmingham City and Ipswich Town, but this certainly hasn’t been a straightforward saga so far. There could yet be further twists to come.
Akpom was most recently on loan with Lille, scoring three goals and assisting one in his three-month spell. The former Gunner only made six starts for Lille, so he’ll hope for more consistent football in 2025/26.