Birmingham City have been dealt a blow in their hopes of striking a deal with Newcastle United goalkeeper Karl Darlow.

Birmingham are on the lookout for a new goalkeeper, with Lee Camp recently departing St. Andrew's upon the expiry of his contract and Connal Trueman leaving the club on loan to join AFC Wimbledon.

Darlow has emerged as a transfer target for Blues, as has Cardiff goalkeeper Neil Etheridge, with Aitor Karanka looking to bolster his options in-between the sticks.

Quiz: Can you name where each of these 14 ex-Birmingham City players are playing now?

Darlow is out of favour at St. James' Park, and he hasn't played for the Magpies in the Premier League for over two years, with his last appearance coming in February 2018.

Last season, the 29-year-old made six appearances with each of those coming in cup competitions, having been used as a back-up option for Martin Dubravka for the past two years.

According to the Telegraph, though, Darlow's exit doesn't look likely, with Steve Bruce reportedly "happy" to have the goalkeeper at the club as back-up to Dubravka.

Darlow only has one year left on his contract, so it remains to be seen whether the club look to keep him and potentially lose him for free next summer, or cash in before then.

The Verdict

This is a rather interesting development.

Bruce may be satisfied having Darlow at the club as back-up, but what about the player himself? He's 29 now, and he will want to be playing regularly as he approaches the age of 30.

If he wanted a move away, then you'd imagine that that wouldn't be a problem if Bruce could find a replacement.