Birmingham City, Derby County and Hull City now in five-team transfer tussle

Birmingham City along with four other teams are reportedly interested in signing Liverpool midfielder James McConnell.

According to This is Anfield's David Lynch, that Blues are among five teams chasing the loan signing of McConnell. Hull City, Blackburn Rovers, Derby County and Birmingham's promotion rivals Huddersfield Town are also keen.

It is unsure yet what the Reds' plans are for McConnell after Jurgen Klopp's departure. Dutchman Arne Slot has replaced him and he might want to take a closer look at the midfielder before making a decision. He trained with the first-team last season and made a couple of appearances under Klopp.

The 24-year-old is predominantly a defensive midfielder but is also capable of playing in central midfield too. He played nine times for the first team last season, including three outings in the Premier League and the Europa League.

He was trusted to come on in the Carabao Cup final in late February, and helped the Merseyside club to a 1-0 win over Chelsea. McConnell also created a goal for Liverpool in their 5-2 win over Norwich City in the FA Cup at the end of January.

The Morpeth-born youngster also has leadership qualities as he captained Liverpool's under-21s squad in the EFL Trophy last season. He played 16 times for the development team as he drifted in and out of the first-team picture.

Liverpool have a talented academy and last season saw the debut of Jayden Danns, the son of former Birmingham City midfielder Neil. Lewis Koumas, son of West Brom hero Jason also made his debut. They have built up a positive relationship with Hull City, loaning them Fabio Carvalho and Tyler Morton over the last season, so they could send him to a club that they have trusted.