Exclusive: Birmingham City chase Nick Shinton deal, Championship trio to spark transfer race
Championship trio Birmingham, Swansea and Watford are all eyeing moves for Belgian goalkeeper Nick Shinton, sources have told Football Insider.
Shinton, 24, has impressed at Beerschot this season and has kept ten clean sheets in 27 games in the Challenger Pro League, the second tier of Belgian football.
Birmingham, Swansea and Watford have made regular checks on Shinton as they look to strengthen their goalkeeping departments.
Beerschot are aware of the growing race to sign their number one and are bracing themselves for further interest in the former Belgium Under-21 international this summer.
Shinton set for English move as he ranks among league’s best
A product of the Club Brugge youth academy, Shinton has begun to take his first major steps in senior football across the last 18 months at Beerschot.
He started 21 games as his team were relegated from the top flight last season, but his performances have hit another level this term.
| Player | Team | Clean Sheets |
| Beau Reus | SK Beveren (1st) | 11 |
| Nick Shinton | Beerschot (3rd) | 10 |
| Marco Hiller | Eupen (7th) | 9 |
| Jordi Belin | FC Liege (6th) | 9 |
| Julien Devriendt | Patro Eisden (5th) | 9 |
His tally of 10 clean sheets is the second-highest in the division, with only Beau Reus of runaway leaders SK Beveren enjoying a stronger campaign.
Shinton’s performances have not gone unnoticed, and Birmingham, Swansea and Watford are all ready to offer him the chance to take the next step in his career this summer.
Birmingham have had issues with the consistency of Brighton loanee James Beadle since the start of the season, while both Swansea and Watford are also looking to add to their options between the posts.
Birmingham to sanction Kyogo Furuhashi sale this summer
Football Insider revealed at the end of February that Birmingham are increasingly likely to sell Kyogo Furuhashi this summer, after a difficult debut campaign.
The Japanese striker has fallen down the pecking order at St Andrew’s after the Blues made moves to strengthen their attacking options during the January window.
The former Celtic star was heavily linked with a move away from Birmingham himself in the middle of the season, but the club were ultimately reluctant to sell him.
However, it could be a different story this time around, wtih there being no signs of the 31-year-old receiving a boost in his gametime any time soon.
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