- Birmingham City completed the record-breaking signing of Jay Stansfield
- Stansfield spent last season on loan and has now joined the Blues permanently
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Birmingham City broke the League One transfer record by signing striker Jay Stansfield on a seven-year deal from Fulham on the final day of the season.
Stansfield spent last season on loan at Birmingham, scoring 12 goals in 43 Championship appearances, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Blues afloat as they were relegated to the Third Division.
However, this did not stop Birmingham from pursuing a permanent deal and on Friday night they got their man, albeit at a hefty price.
Fulham are reportedly set to receive a guaranteed fee of £15m, with up to £5m in add-ons, meaning the total fee could rise to £20m.
The previous record was the £4million Birmingham spent on Austrian centre-back Christoph Klarer earlier this summer.
Jay Stansfield has returned to Birmingham City for a record transfer fee in League One
Stansfield scored 13 league goals while on loan at Birmingham last season
He scored for Fulham against Birmingham on Tuesday night but has now returned to St Andrew’s on a permanent contract
Fulham have also ensured that there is a 20 per cent sell-on clause, while there will also be a £100,000 bonus if Birmingham are promoted back to the Championship.
After confirming his record-breaking move, Stansfield told BluesTV: ‘I’m absolutely thrilled. It’s been a long time coming, I think.
‘When I left, after the awards ceremony, the reactions from all the fans. Even though it was a really tough season for Birmingham as a club and it didn’t end the way we wanted, I thought it was good to come back here and take on this next challenge. And to be part of such a great club and such a great project.’
The deal still needs to be approved by the league and the football association, but no problems are expected.
Stansfield played for Fulham against Birmingham in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night and scored in a 2-0 victory for Marco Silva’s side.
But now he will pull on the Birmingham shirt again with the aim of helping the club make their first attempt at returning to the Championship.
Birmingham have made a strong start to the League One season, with seven points from three games, which puts them in fifth place at the start of the season.