Birmingham City will attempt to compete for promotion to the Premier League next season.

The Blues were unable to maintain a play-off challenge in their first year back in the Championship the previous season.

Chris Davies’ side ended 10th in the table, nine points behind sixth-place Hull City, who went on to win promotion to the first flight.

It might be a hectic summer for the Midlands club, which has spent lavishly under new owners Knighthead Capital in recent transfers.

So far this summer, the Blues have confirmed the permanent arrival of Jhon Solis, who spent the second part of last season on loan at St. Andrew’s, as well as the signing of Dael Fry as a free agent.

But Birmingham’s business is unlikely to finish there, and they have until September 1 to complete any outstanding transactions.

Birmingham City’s Ibrahim Osman discussions

According to Birmingham Live, negotiations between the Championship club and Brighton for Ibrahim Osman’s transfer are already underway.

In the January transfer window, the 21-year-old joined St. Andrew’s on loan from the Premier League team.

However, his future remains uncertain, with Birmingham interested in bringing him back to Davies’ side for next season.

The forward contributed two goals and two assists in 17 second-division outings, and his performances garnered him fan support.

While Brighton is said to be eager to move Osman, the two clubs’ valuations of the player are currently very different.

The Blues must manage their finances in order to comply with the new Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) guidelines that went into effect this summer.

Clubs are only allowed to spend 85 percent of their revenue on the first-team squad, and Birmingham’s prior heavy expenditure in transfer windows has hampered them under these restrictions.

How Birmingham fans feel about Ibrahim Osman’s transfer chase.

Birmingham fans are optimistic about the possibility of signing Osman on a permanent basis after enjoying his initial loan term, and would be happy to take James Beadle back on loan to enable this deal instead.

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Birmingham must be careful with their spending.

If Birmingham is bound by the new SCR criteria, it will be difficult to recruit Osman as a regular member of the team, especially given their match against Brighton.

The Seagulls will not be sympathetic to the Championship side’s situation and will look to squeeze the most value from the winger.

Perhaps another loan transfer is the best option for the time being, as Birmingham must remain careful in the market.

Relying on loan deals is not the best strategy to grow a team, but in this case, it may be the only option for the Blues until their financial situation improves.