Derby County winger Ikechi Anya could be set to depart Pride Park on loan this January, with Birmingham City keen on taking him to St Andrew's.

The Derby Telegraph reports that the Scottish wide man is coveted by Garry Monk as he continues to defy the critics with his patched up Birmingham side.

It's going to be a tough few weeks for Monk, he's going to be restricted to a single loan signing this winter, which makes someone like Anya highly attractive. When quizzed recently, Monk admitted he is aware of Anya, who hasn't featured for Lampard's Rams this season.

“I know the player," Monk told Birmingham Live. ”When you are looking at the list we are looking at it is a difficult one. Every player on the list is of interest.”

“There’s nothing concrete or imminent at this moment in time. If anything does become imminent or concrete then you’ll know about it. But at this moment there’s nothing really to be said about anything.”

Anya joined Derby from Watford in August 2016 for a fee thought to be around £4m with add-ons, but his Pride Park career has never taken off. The 31-year old has started just 17 league matches during his time in the East Midlands, with 16 outings from the bench.

His last appearance came in the play-off semi-final defeat to Fulham in May.

The Verdict

Monk must be so frustrated right now. He's pushed his side to their limits, getting a great response in the process. The possibilities at St Andrew's are clear for everyone to see, but now comes the real test.

They've got to stick with what they've got and hope that the one signing they do make can impact the squad sufficiently enough to keep them in the play-off hunt.

As for derby, it is a player off the wage bill, giving them more room to move this window.