Birmingham City will be forced to pay a compensation fee to title challengers Leeds United this summer if the club decides to sign Cody Drameh permanently, according to the latest reports.

Drameh came through the academy at Thorp Arch and was one of several players who made their first-team debuts under the legendary Marcelo Bielsa during his time in charge of the Whites. However, following his first appearance in October 2021, the youngster went on to play merely nine more times for the club.

The 22-year-old featured under Daniel Farke earlier in the campaign, playing once in the Championship and the EFL Cup before being sent out on loan to St. Andrew’s. It was revealed that Birmingham City have an option-to-buy clause inserted in the agreement.

Despite a tremendous start to the campaign with former head coach John Eustace at the helm, the Blues have had a dismal time in the second tier over the past few months. Since joining the Midlands outfit, Drameh has had three different managers already, including Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney.

Overall, the Dulwich-born fullback has made 28 appearances so far for Birmingham, becoming a mainstay in a struggling team that are level on points with the relegation zone at the moment after three consecutive league defeats.

According to a report from Football Insider, the 20-minute cameo that Drameh made for Leeds at the end of August in a 4-3 victory over Ipswich Town was his final game for the club as the board are not looking to hand him a contract extension before his deal runs out this summer.

The outlet are also claiming that Birmingham would have to pay the Yorkshire club an undisclosed compensation fee for the defender who currently boasts a market value of £2.5 million, as per Transfermarkt.

This deal is a little confusing as the player is out of contract at the end of the campaign, yet Birmingham City have an option to buy him at the end of his deal, even though he will be a free agent. The Yorkshire Evening Post previously reported that the inclusion of this clause is to ensure that the Blues get to him before any other rival suitors.

However, a deal with the West Midlands side could become a lot trickier within the next few months if the Blues are relegated down to League One for the first time in three decades which is becoming a likely possibility.