Birmingham City will reportedly have to pay a fee in the region of £300,000 if they are to land Brighton Hove Albion midfielder Marc Leonard this summer, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.
The 22-year-old midfielder is currently involved in a fierce transfer battle with several EFL sides all looking to land his signature this summer, following his successful stint with fellow League One side Northampton Town.
Which sides are interested in signing Leonard?
Birmingham may be targeting the Scottish midfielder but they certainly are not alone in their pursuit. They have been joined by fellow League One side Wrexham as well as Championship duo Oxford United and Swansea City.
The midfielder played a starring role for Northampton Town over the previous two seasons, helping them to achieve promotion to the third tier in the 2022/23 campaign but staying to help the club achieve their highest finish in over a decade last season.
How did Leonard fair during his time with the Cobblers?
Across both loan spells with Northampton Town, Leonard made 97 appearances for the football club. During that time, the midfielder contributed to 13 goals and picked up a promotion winners medal with the Cobblers.
Leonard narrowly missed out on a place in the 2022/23 League Two Team of the Season but attracted Championship interest back in the January transfer window but opted to remain with Northampton Town.
Is £300,000 worth it for Birmingham?
Leonard currently has one year remaining on his contract at Brighton but has proven himself in both League Two and League One over the past two seasons.
With Birmingham having spent seven figures on midfielders such as Ivan Sunjic and Juninho Bacuna over the past few seasons, £300,000 is much lower than that and is likely to be affordable by the League One side.
However, regardless of the fee, Leonard has Championship suiters as well, meaning both Blues and Wrexham would likely need to increase their wage offers to have a better prospect of landing the 22-year-old this summer.