Birmingham City striker Marvin Ducksch admits 'talks' over summer exit

Striker Marvin Ducksch has admitted he's keen to leave Birmingham City this summer and a return to his native Germany is on the cards.

Ducksch reportedly has a release clause in his Blues contract, which means clubs can sign him for the knockdown fee of just 1m euros this summer, after Chris Davies' side failed to secure promotion back to the Premier League last season.

Ducksch enjoyed a productive season at St Andrew's, scoring 11 goals and contributing two assists in 36 appearances in all competitions following his move from Werder Bremen last year, but now he appears keen to move on.

Plenty of interest in Germany

There are thought to be several German clubs interested in the 32-year-old, who are willing to meet the release clause and bring the forward back home.

Ducksch has a decent goalscoring record wherever he's played in Germany, hitting 24 in 54 games for Holstein Kiel, 34 in 70 for Hannover and 54 in 134 outings for Werder before his switch to the English second tier last August.

Ducksch quickly became a fan favourite in the West Midlands, too, and was a key part of the side that, at one stage, looked to be in the promotion mix, only to fall away over the spring.

Hertha head keen clubs

Hertha Berlin are leading the chase for his signature after the Birmingham man met with officials of the capital club to discuss a possible move there last month, although Ducksch has confirmed he has plenty of options at this stage, going as far as saying he had held talks with "several clubs".

Ducksch was a guest on German podcast, 'At Broski Die Sport-Show', and, via publication Bild, he has been quoted as saying: "I'm definitely in talks with several clubs, including some in the Bundesliga. But it’s still relatively early."

Ducksch would be keen to return to his home country but stressed he needs to be persuaded he's making the move to the right club as he begins to approach the end of his career.

'Definitely like' to return to Germany

On a return to Germany, he added: "I'm relatively open to that. But of course, if there's a club where I’m convinced by the whole concept, then I would definitely like to return to the Bundesliga or to Germany."

There could yet be a concerted effort for Blues to try and keep the striker, who is under contract until summer 2028, notwithstanding the apparent release clause.

Other Championship teams may be alerted to his potential availability as Birmingham's rivals all set about trying to put squads together capable of mounting a promotion charge in the 2026/27 Championship season.

Blues eye promotion tilt

Birmingham are among the favourites to go up next term, at 15/4, after they missed out on a play-off place last season in their first year back in the second tier.

Davies' side are 12/1 to win the Championship, behind West Ham at 4/6, Wolves at 13/8, Burnley 5/2 and Middlesbrough at 10/3.

This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.