We Are Birmingham can reveal that Blues are interested in bringing Spanish defender Pablo Mari to the club as a potential replacement for Michael Morrison, whose departure was announced yesterday.
We believe the Spanish centre back that #BCFC are working on is Pablo Marí from Man City.
— We Are Birmingham (@WeAreBirmingham) July 2, 2019
Mari is an imposing centre-back who is officially a Manchester City player, though he has never appeared in a Man City shirt. He has spent two of the last three years on loan in Spain’s second division, but sandwiched between them was an impressive year at NAC Breda, where despite being only 24 he was made captain. His form reportedly excited several Premier League scouts, but his next move was back to Spain.
At Deportivo, his last club, he was noted for his excellent passing accuracy – in fact, midway through the season, he had the best passing accuracy of any player in Spain’s second tier. With Blues making noises about changing their style, a defender comfortable on the ball would be a very important piece to add to the puzzle. Michael Morrison was a very good defender and his exit will be felt, but one area he never excelled in was his distribution. If Mari can be similarly solid, he would be a handy addition.
The 6’3 Spaniard has one year left on his Man City contract and Blues are interested in a permanent deal. However, Blues face competition from Levante, a team in the La Liga in Spain, who are also admirers of the centre-half.
We're in competition with Levante for Mari – it was reported Man City wanted 1million Euros for him but no idea on how true that is. https://t.co/qQZolsYp6V
— Daniel Ivery (@almajir) July 2, 2019
According to reports, Mari would be available for around €1m, which is unlikely to burn too large a hole in Blues’ pockets, but a sensible deal in current circumstances.