Birmingham City failed with a bid to sign Dinamo Zagreb striker Mario Gavrianovic late in the summer transfer window, The Birmingham Mail have reported.

It is thought that Birmingham made their move with just hours remaining on the final day of the window, meaning there was not enough time for the striker to make a decision and complete the move before the 5pm deadline on the 8th August.

As a result, Birmingham have been left short on attacking options in their squad for the start of the campaign, with Lukas Jutkiewicz and summer signing Alvaro Gimenez the club's only two senior recognised strikers.

Gavranovic joined Zagreb from fellow Croatian side Rijeka in 2018, and has gone onto score 21 goals in 68 appearances in all competitions for his current club.

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Had Birmingham completed the deal, Gavranovic would have become the second player to move to St Andrew's from Zagreb during the summer transfer window, with midfielder Ivan Sunjic having made the same move for a reported £6.3million in late July.

Birmingham currently sit ninth in the Championship, having won three and drawn one of their opening six league games of the campaign, scoring six goals in the process.

The Verdict

I don't think this looks too good for Birmingham really.

Given they made a move for Gavranovic, it does seem as though they were concerned about the lack of attackers in their side, which makes you wonder why they left it so late in the window to address that issue.

While it has been a respectable start to the campaign for the Blues, the fact they have found the net just six times in as many games does feel like it might be a slight concern, and you feel they would be keen to add some extra firepower now were they able to.

Indeed, with the season being as long and challenging as it is, you feel as though it is important for Birmingham to head back into the market for a striker in January, in order to relieve some of the pressure on Jutkiewicz and Gimenez.