Birmingham City boss John Eustace has hinted that he would like to retain Wolverhampton Wanderers centre-back Dion Sanderson for the long term, speaking to BBC Radio WM.

Sanderson first joined his current loan side back in the summer of 2021 - but was recalled and sent to Queens Park Rangers for the second half of last term and failed to make the same impact at Loftus Road as he was unable to keep the west London outfit in the play-offs.

Re-joining Birmingham on another loan spell during the most recent summer window, he has been one of the first names on the teamsheet when available with 29 appearances to his name in all competitions this season.

With both him and Auston Trusty only joining the club on loan though, Eustace may be keen to strike a permanent deal for one or both of them, with both Birmingham and Rangers previously reported to have been looking at the possibility of signing him on a long-term basis from Wolves.

However, Wolves didn't have the option to recall him and that all but ruled out a permanent move to Ibrox this winter, something that could have given his current loan team a chance to negotiate a permanent deal in January without much opposition.

They didn't manage to get an agreement over the line during the previous window but Eustace certainly wants to see him stay, saying: "He's somebody for me going forward I'd want part of this football club."

According to last month's report from Football Scotland, Wolves are looking to generate around £3m for the player.

The Verdict:

Eustace's side have already moved to secure Emmanuel Longelo for the long term so it wouldn't be a major surprise if they tried to do similar with Sanderson.

However, £3m may be quite a steep price for Birmingham to pay considering they haven't spent a huge amount of money in recent years, so that valuation would probably need to come down.

Michael Beale's Gers won't have an unlimited amount of money to spend either though so the Midlands side should retain hope that they can secure a permanent deal even if the Scottish Premiership outfit reignites their interest.

It's just a shame they were unable to make his deal a longer-term one this winter because that would have allowed an extra loanee to be brought into the matchday squad.

They did manage to bring in Kevin Long though and he could easily have his contract extended if he impresses between now and the end of the season, with Nico Gordon potentially able to make an impact too as a talented young player who will have a point to prove.