Rangers, Norwich City and Crystal Palace weighing up transfer move for Birmingham City man | OneFootball

Rangers, Norwich City and Crystal Palace are all keen on Birmingham City's Zaid Bekketa, who is yet to sign a pro deal at St. Andrew's.

Birmingham City face a battle to keep hold of talented youngster Zaid Betteka, as Rangers, Crystal Palace and Norwich City all track the winger.

The 18-year-old is highly-rated at Blues, and whilst he has mainly featured for the academy, boss Chris Davies did bring him on in the FA Cup victory over Lincoln City earlier this season to give him his first taste of senior football.

However, there are doubts about the future of the teenager, as he has yet to sign a professional contract with the club.

Zaid Betteka could leave Birmingham City

And, it appears rivals are looking to take advantage of that situation, as Football Insider has revealed that three clubs are monitoring Betteka.

The update states that Rangers, Palace and Norwich are all interested in the winger, who predominantly plays from the left, which allows him to cut inside onto his preferred right foot.

It’s said that Betteka is still valued by Birmingham, so it would appear the player could have plenty of options on the table as he weighs up what is a critical move in his career.

Birmingham City must try to retain talented youngsters

Blues are a club on the rise under their owners, with promotion from League One looking like a formality this season.

Beyond that, Tom Wagner has made it clear that he wants the side to reach the Premier League, but, even then, it’s not about making up the numbers, with the hierarchy having huge ambitions at St. Andrew’s.

Naturally, that makes it harder for academy lads to stay involved, as the quality in the first-team will keep improving, and the club have the financial resources to bring in new recruits.

But, it’s crucial that Birmingham try to keep bringing players through, as they are rightly proud of the academy.

Jude Bellingham is the most obvious success story in recent times, but there’s a lot of talent that Blues have developed, and it’s something they must continue to do.

Whether Bekketa is ever capable of playing regularly for Blues remains to be seen, but they wouldn’t want to lose someone who is highly regarded to clubs higher up than them.

Ultimately, with Bekketa yet to sign a pro contract, there’s not much Blues can do right now, as he is in a position where he can decide his next move, and whilst the financial aspect will be important, it will also be about a pathway to senior football.