[themaclad]

League One promotion favourites Birmingham City have made their third January transfer window signing by bringing in South Korea international Lee Myung-jae on deadline day, subject to international clearance.

The 31-year-old seven-times capped left-back, who had been at Korean K-League side Ulsan HD, joins Blues on a deal until the end of the season.

He follows the arrivals of defender Grant Hanley, from Norwich City, and front player Kieran Dowell, on loan from Rangers.

That takes the total of signings made by Blues boss Chris Davies to 20 - after 17 in the August transfer window, including record third-tier signing Jay Stansfield for an eight-figure fee.

Stansfield has so far hit 14 goals this season to help Blues top League One by four points - with two games in hand.

Blues face a big week on the knockout front, with a trip to Stevenage in their EFL Trophy quarter-final on Tuesday night before Saturday's FA Cup fourth-round tie at home to Newcastle United.

Birmingham City's Japanese winger Ayumu Yokoyama has joined Belgian league leaders KRC Genk on loan for the rest of the season.

The 21-year-old Japan Under-20 player moved to St Andrews last summer from J-League side Sagan Tosu on a three-year deal.

He has made 10 substitute appearances in League One this season, with his only starts and goals coming in cup competitions.

He has scored three times in five EFL Trophy games and got one goal in three FA Cup appearances.

[themaclad]

Birmingham City have signed teenage striker Kurtis Havenhand from Sheffield United on a deal that runs until the end of the season.

The 19-year-old, who has a further 12-month option on his Blues deal, will link up with the League One club's Under-21 side on his arrival.

Havenhand came through the youth ranks at Sheffield United, and while still only 15 years old, he made his debut for the club's Under-18 and Under-21 sides.

A knee injury suffered in the 2022-23 season ruled him out for more than a year, but he recovered and signed his first professional deal with the Blades in the summer of 2024.

[themaclad]

Grant Hanley will leave Birmingham City at the end of his contract next month.

The 33-year-old Scotland international joined Blues in January on a short-term deal but played a part in their League One promotion success, featuring in 14 league games as the club bounced straight back to the Championship.

The former Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and Norwich City defender is one of two senior players who will depart St Andrew's this summer.

South Korea international defender Lee Myung-Jae, 31, has also been released just four months, and three appearances, after signing on a free transfer.

A third departure had already been announced by Blues - that of 36-year-old forward Lukas Jutkiewicz, who has retired from the game after nine years with the club, during which he made 358 appearances.

Birmingham have already started gearing up for life at the higher level, with Hannover 96 centre-back Phil Neumann set to officially join the club on 1 July after signing a pre-contract in January and Alfons Sampsted making his loan move from FC Twente permanent.

[themaclad]

Birmingham City have announced Japanese forward Ayumu Yokoyama has left the Championship club to join Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk.

The 22-year-old leaves St Andrew's after one season having joined from J-League club Sagan Tosu in the summer of 2024.

Yokoyama made 19 appearances for Blues and scored four times.

He last featured for the club at the start of the year, scoring in back-to-back games against Lincoln City in the FA Cup and Swindon Town in the Vertu Trophy before playing what would be his final match against Exeter in League One on 18 January.

Yokoyama moves to Genk, who finished top of the Pro League last season but came third in the Champions play-offs to decide the overall title winners, for an undisclosed fee.

[themaclad]

Birmingham City have signed England Under-21s goalkeeper James Beadle on a season-long loan from Premier League club Brighton.

Beadle, 20, played in all six games at this summer's Uefa European Under-21 Championship in Slovakia as England retained the title they won in 2023.

He becomes Blues' first signing since they won promotion back to the Championship at the first attempt, breaking records along the way as League One champions.

Beadle has spent the past 18 months at Championship side Sheffield Wednesday, making 57 appearances across two separate loan spells with the Owls.

"I want to take that next step up and play at the top end of the table," he told the club website., external "Now I've had experiences in the Championship, I really feel like this year I can kick on."

[themaclad]

Birmingham City have signed midfielder Tommy Doyle on a season-long loan deal from Midlands rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The 23-year-old has played 58 times for Wolves after arriving from Manchester City in 2023 but made just three Premier League starts last season as Vitor Pereira's side finished 16th and guaranteed an eighth successive year in the top flight.

Doyle, the grandson of former Manchester City captain Mike Doyle, made his professional debut for City in October 2019 in a 3-1 EFL Cup win against Southampton.

Following loan spells at Hamburg and Cardiff City, Doyle moved to Sheffield United on a season-long loan in the summer of 2022 alongside team-mate James McAtee.

Doyle scored four goals and provided seven assists that campaign as the Blades won promotion to the Premier League.

He also scored the winning goal for Sheffield United against Blackburn Rovers in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup but was unable to play in the semi-final against then parent club City due to the FA's own competition rules.

"I'm really excited, it's a big club with big ambition, so I'm looking forward to getting involved and getting down to work," Doyle told Birmingham's website., external

"The way the club is going about its business is really impressive and it shows that the club is only going one way."

[themaclad]

Demarai Gray has returned to Birmingham City on a three-year contract.

The Jamaica international winger has been with Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq for the last two seasons but has joined the newly-promoted Blues for an undisclosed fee.

The Birmingham-born player made his senior debut for his hometown club as a 17-year-old in 2013 and played 78 games before joining Leicester City in 2016.

He helped the Foxes win the Premier League title in his first season and also won England Under-21 honours before opting to play senior international football for Jamaica.

After five years with Leicester, Gray had a six-month spell with Bayer Leverkusen and two seasons with Everton before joining Al-Ettifaq in September 2023.

"To be back here now means a lot and having tasted success a bit throughout my career, I'm hungry and I really want to do it here with Birmingham and try and help the team get back to where we belong," Gray told the Blues website, external.

"It's something I've wanted for a long time. Seeing some old faces is always nice, to be back around the stadium brought back a lot of feelings and I can't wait to get going now, get back in front of the fans and see where this season can take us.

"It's different to just signing for another club. For me to have the opportunity to come back home, be around my family, watch my son grow up, him being able to watch me play games, at the club I started at, makes sense.

"Especially at the point of my career now, it's perfect. I'm happy, I'm excited, and I want to win things and be successful here in front of my family."

[themaclad]

Birmingham City have signed Nigeria international full-back Bright Osayi-Samuel on a three-year deal following the conclusion of his contract at Fenerbahce.

The 27-year-old moves to St Andrew's after making 178 appearances in four and a half years for the side now coached by Jose Mourinho following his move from Queens Park Rangers in January 2021.

Osayi-Samuel, who can play as a right-back, wing-back and as a winger, becomes Blues' fourth signing this week following the arrivals of Demarai Gray, Tommy Doyle and James Beadle as they prepare for life back in the second tier after securing the League One title last season.

He has made 22 appearances for Nigeria since his debut in 2022, and was part of the squad which finished runners-up at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

Having made his professional debut for Blackpool at the age of 17, Osayi-Samuel was part of the squad which won promotion from League Two via the play-offs in 2017.

Osayi-Samuel went on to make 103 Championship appearances for QPR after moving to Loftus Road in the summer of 2017, adding to the six appearances he made in the second tier for Blackpool during the 2014-15 season.

"I want to play in the Premier League and show everyone what I can do," Osayi-Samuel told Birmingham's website., external

"Coming to Birmingham City now is another step for me, an opportunity to show everyone where I've been for the last four years."

[themaclad]

Birmingham City have continued their busy summer recruitment by landing ex-Celtic forward Kyogo Furuhashi from French top-flight side Rennes for an undisclosed fee.

The Japan international has agreed a three-year deal with Blues, who were promoted back to the Championship after a record-breaking season as League One champions.

He scored 85 goals in 165 appearances for the Bhoys and was the Scottish Premiership's leading scorer in the 2022-23 season with 27 goals.

Furuhashi joined Rennes in January for £10m but is back in Britain just six months later with Chris Davies' newly-promoted side, despite being heavily linked with a return to Celtic.

He won four Scottish Premiership titles during four years with the Glasgow club from 2021-25 and has also lifted two Scottish Cups and three Scottish League Cups.

Furuhashi joins compatriot Tomoki Iwota at Blues, who have signed Nigeria full-back Bright Osayi-Samuel and Jamaica winger Demarai Gray in the past week as well as Wolves midfielder Tommy Doyle and Euro Under-21 winning goalkeeper James Beadle on loan.

[themaclad]

Birmingham City have completed the signing of Japanese midfielder Kanya Fujimoto on a three-year contract.

The 26-year-old arrives at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park on a free transfer following the expiry of his contract at Portuguese top-flight side Gil Vicente.

Fujimoto has spent the past four seasons with Gil Vicente, and made 10 goal contributions in 30 appearances as they finished 13th in the Primeira Liga last season.

The former Japan Under-20 international joins compatriots Tomoki Iwata and Kyogu Furuhashi at Blues.

Former Celtic forward Furuhashi joined Birmingham on Saturday, following the earlier arrivals of Nigeria full-back Bright Osayi-Samuel and Jamaica winger Demarai Gray on permanent deals and the loan signings of Wolves midfielder Tommy Doyle and England Euro Under-21 winning goalkeeper James Beadle.

Birmingham, who won the League One title last season with an English Football League record 111 points, begin their campaign back in the Championship at home to relegated Ipswich Town on Friday, 8 August.