BIRMINGHAM CITY FANS should get ready to brace sad movement as their top player is.....

Birmingham City are embroiled in a relegation battle that fans will not have expected in the early stages of the season – and whilst they may be relying on Lukas Jutkiewicz to keep them in the second-tier, it could spell a bittersweet end to his stint at St. Andrew’s.

Jutkiewicz joined the Blues back in 2017 after a solid loan spell in the West Midlands saw him notch eight league goals in just 20 Championship games before the Blues made him a permanent member of the squad halfway through the season in a £1million signing from Burnley. It’s been one of the smarter pieces of business that the club have done in the last decade, with plenty of horrors in that time; and Jutkiewicz has since become a cult hero in the second city.

63 league goals in 312 league appearances for the Blues has him down as one of their stalwarts, and although the goals have dried up towards the end of his stint at St. Andrews – which has seen him play under now fewer than 11 permanent managers and 16 bosses overall including interims and caretakers – Jutkiewicz continues to be a valuable member of their squad. However, he is likely to leave in the summer, and Blues fans should brace themselves for a sad ending.

Why Birmingham City fans should brace themselves for a sad player announcement

Jutkiewicz’s contract expires at the end of the campaign, with his last extension coming in April 2021. Since then, he hasn’t been at his most productive with just 10 league goals since the start of the 2021/22 campaign.

As a result, and regardless of which division Birmingham will be playing in as they continue to fight and preserve their Championship status, it seems likely that the toweing forward will move on in the summer.

He’s provided many key moments; notably, 14- and 15-goals hauls in the Championship’s 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons respectively, which saw the Blues faithful take him in as one of their own as they recorded comfortable mid-table finishes.

Lukas Jutkiewicz – full Championship seasons for Birmingham City	Games	Goals
2016/17	38	11
2017/18	35	5
2018/19	46	14
2019/20	46	15
2020/21	42	8
2021/22	36	2
2022/23	43	5
TOTAL	312	63

Jutkiewicz is the club’s longest-serving player, pipping Marc Roberts to that title by six months having joined permanently in the January 2017 window – and the club have been through various ups and downs with him, including scoring the opener against Aston Villa at Villa Park in the Midlands derby. And, much like many other stalwarts who run their contracts down before leaving on a high note, fans will be hoping that his farewell will come with Championship survival after a topsy-turvy season.

Lukas Jutkiewicz transfer latest

The striker was linked with a move to Blackburn Rovers in the January transfer window, though no such move took place. With Rovers man Sam Gallagher also being touted with a move away from Ewood Park, that is an interesting development that we could see in the future.

Given his EFL output, you have to think he will have options should be move on and there is always a chance that he extends his stay at St Andrew’s.

But under their new ownership, it does feel as though his departure could come this summer and supporters need to prepare themselves to say goodbye.