Birmingham City have taken Swedish striker Joel Mumbongo on trial, but face opposition from Middlesbrough amongst others for his signature.

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The 19-year old is reported by Birmingham Live as being watched by a host of English clubs in the past, including fellow West Midlands side Wolves.

He's also trained with Brentford as well as spending time at Manchester City and Everton.

The U19 international has one year remaining on his contract with Swedish club Utsiktens which might hinder any moves by Garry Monk to bring him to the club permanently, given the current transfer embargo.

He’s thought to have caught the eye of coaches at Wast Hills this week and Birmingham have been given permission to sign up to five players by the EFL, but only on loan deals or free agents as they have to reign in their spending under the current financial situation.

Mumbongo has appeared 11 times for his side this season, with the Swedish League kicking off in April. he's scored four times, and grabbed three assists, including a goal and two helping hands as they won 3-2 against Mjallby in May.

The Verdict

There's certainly an air of mystery around the youngster, who plies his trade in the third tier of Swedish football. There's been plenty of hype around him for a while now, but should Garry Monk be concerned that none of the other sides have snapped him up as yet?

Working under current restrictions, it might be that Monk understands any incoming players have to be on a very tight budget and therefore he's shopping in lower reaches of European football hoping to find a gem in a mountain of rocks.