FC Groningen's technical director Mark-Jan Fledderus has claimed that he is not aware of any concrete interest in manager Danny Buijs, despite reports suggesting Birmingham City are considering him as Pep Clotet's replacement.
It was announced earlier this month that the Blues boss would be leaving his role at the end of the 2019/20 campaign to "explore other coaching opportunities".
The Spaniard took charge of the Blues last summer, stepping up from his previous role as assistant manager after Garry Monk departed.
With Clotet set to leave at the end of the season, the Blues have begun their search for a replacement and it appears the Groningen boss is one of the candidates.
According to Dutch outlet Vi.nl, Birmingham are eyeing up Buijs, who has impressed the Championship club's owners with the success he has had one a limited budget.
The 38-year-old coach led the Dutch side to a ninth-place finish in the Eredivisie this term.
Speaking to AD.nl, Fledderus has provided an update on the situation, revealing that there has not been any contact yet.
He said: "I have read the messages, but I am not aware of any interest from a club in Danny. Danny is a young and good trainer. I'm not surprised in that sense that clubs find him interesting. ”
"We are very satisfied with how we work together. We are building something together and are on the same page. Of course, you sometimes have discussions, that is part of it, but we both have the same perspective for the future. We want to move forward with FC Groningen. It is not without reason that we extended Danny's contract by two years last season. ”
He added: "For the time being I, therefore, assume that it is not very concrete. If that changes, we will discuss this with each other."
Other names that have been linked with the Birmingham job include Chris Hughton, Lee Bowyer, and Nigel Clough.
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The Verdict
It appears there has not been any contact over Buijs so far and that the Blues may find it tough to prize the Dutchman away from Groningen, with the 38-year-old having recently signed a new deal.
He looks an interesting option, having done a decent job in the Eredivisie with a limited budget, but you'd question whether he is the right man to help take the Blues to the next level.
For me, the likes of Hughton, Bowyer and Clough should be above him in the pecking order if they're available.