Birmingham City are preparing to bid farewell to Kai Wagner just six months after the left-back joined the club.
The Blues purchased Wagner from MLS side Philadelphia Union in January and the 29-year-old was an instant hit at St Andrew's, registering a sublime assist on his debut in a 3-2 win over Coventry City.
Wagner continued to excel, starting in all 16 matches and ranking among the top percentile of Championship players for xA (Expected Assists) per 90 as Chris Davies' side finished 10th last term.
It was expected Wagner would continue to be Davies' first-choice left-back in the upcoming campaign, but according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the German is set to return to the Union in a major blow for Birmingham.
Not included in the squad for Birmingham's pre-season friendly win over Solihull Moors, Wagner was not the only notable absentee at Damson Park as Kyogo Furuhashi did not feature.
Signed from Rennes for a lucrative fee upon Birmingham's return to the Championship, Kyogo endured a difficult maiden season in England, scoring just one goal in 28 league appearances.
There was fresh optimism around his output in the upcoming campaign after the former Celtic striker underwent successful surgery to correct a long-standing shoulder injury.
However, Davies suggested Kyogo might follow Wagner through the exit door at St Andrew's.
“Kai and Kyogo, things will be clearer with those two in the next couple of days,” Davies told Birmingham Live.
“There’s been a few things happening in the background and that will become clearer in the next 48 hours but tonight wasn’t a night to include them.”
The pending departures of Wagner and Kyogo coincide with reports suggesting Bright Osayi-Samuel wishes to return to Fenerbahce.
The right-back was signed from the Turkish giants last summer and initially made an excellent start to life back in the Championship. However, performances deteriorated as the season progressed and the Nigerian found himself falling down the pecking order, with midfielder Tomoki Iwata preferred whilst Ethan Laird was injured.
Turkish media report Osayi-Samuel is keen on heading back to Istanbul, although Fenerbahce are unwilling to pay a fee for his services.
