Alex Pritchard is closing in on his Sunderland exit after last week’s public fall-out.
Alex Pritchard is set to bring his time on Wearside to an end before Thursday’s deadline, two and a half years after arriving from Huddersfield Town.
The midfielder has scored five goals and provided 25 assists in 115 appearances for Sunderland, while he has become a key player since earning his place back in the starting line-up this season.
After claiming five assists in the Championship, the Black Cats finally offered him a contract extension after attempting to offload him last summer.
It was then confirmed shortly before kick-off at the weekend that Pritchard was refusing to play and had demanded a move away this month.
A statement from the club read: “On Friday morning, Alex Pritchard informed the club that he was no longer available for selection and he subsequently withdrew from today’s matchday squad,” a Sunderland statement read on Saturday
“The midfielder also expressed his desire to leave SAFC with immediate effect.”
The news came shortly after Tony Mowbray saw a bid rejected to reunite with the 30-year-old at Birmingham City.
It now looks like the former Sunderland boss is set to get his man, with Sunderland Nation reporting that the Blues are ‘very close’ to completing a deal for Pritchard.
How much will Birmingham pay for Alex Pritchard?
The report claims Pritchard will sign on a two-and-a-half year deal – a much longer contract than what he was offered by Kristjaan Speakman. He will also get a ‘significant’ pay rise compared to the £6.7k-per-week wages he was on at the Stadium of Light.
The report also revealed the bargain fee that Birmingham will have to pay to land the midfielder, with Mowbray set to cough up only £100,000 this week.
It is definitely a bargain for Birmingham City – especially if he can go and play regularly and put on the performances that he has done for Sunderland.
However, given that we signed him on a free transfer in 2021, his price tag isn’t exactly a major loss for the Black Cats.
He is also set to turn 31 in a few months and would have probably gone for free next summer if he had extended his stay with the club anyway.
It is a disappointing loss for Sunderland, but his handling of the situation is a frustrating one and we will just have to shake it off and move on.