Birmingham City knocked back an offer from Hull City for defender Ryan Shotton recently. The Tigers are thought to have made an offer in the range of £500,000 only to see it rejected by the Blues.
However, it is understood that Hull City will continue to track the player and might come back with a more improved offer before the start of the next season. Leonid Slutsky has been in the search for a defender after losing Harry Maguire to Leicester City. The 24-year-old defender who was a pillar of strength in the Hull backline last season has joined the Foxes for a reported fee of £17m.
Slutsky needs to reshape his side vastly after a host of players chose to leave the club for new destinations since they got demoted to the Championship. Shotton joined the club only last year and played a very pivotal role in keeping Birmingham in the Championship.
The defender’s steady performance in the Blues’ backline helped Redknapp’s side immensely as they avoided a drop to the League One. Birmingham struggled throughout the last season but somehow managed to stay afloat in the second tier with a win over Bristol City on the penultimate day of the previous campaign.
Shotton came through the ranks of Stoke City and making 70 appearances for the Potters. He had some brief loan stints with different clubs so far and only in 2015, he made his permanent move to Derby County.
In the initial days, he used to be a regular presence in the starting lineup but as time went on, he slowly lost his place, owing to a number of factors. He then joined the Blues on a loan deal and after impressing at the St Andrew’s, they offered him a permanent deal.
Despite being the most impressive player on the pitch, Redknapp has some other plan for the player in the upcoming season. Aston Villa’s Tommy Elphick is on the radar of Redknapp who is very determined to rectify the last year’s mistakes.
Birmingham signed Shotton for as low as £300,000 but will be looking towards a seven figure sum to part ways with the defender. Shotton featured in 43 games last season and also registered his name on the score sheet two times.
The versatile defender can also be stationed anywhere in the defence and is equally fluent in the midfield. Redknapp has already secured the services of Marc Roberts from Barnsley and Elphick’s arrival will make things really difficult for Shotton so a move could be the best option for the defender.
