After guiding Birmingham City to safety in the Championship last season, Lee Bowyer will be determined to help his side reach new heights when the 2021/22 campaign gets underway next month.
The Blues boss has already started his preparations for the club's upcoming opening day clash with Sheffield United by making a host of changes to his squad.
After deciding to part ways with the likes of Dan Crowley, Jon Toral and Ivan Guzman, Bowyer opted to draft in Jordan Graham, Ryan Woods and Chuks Aneke.
The 44-year-old has since completed a swoop for Chelsea full-back Juan Familia-Castillo who joined the Blues on a season-long loan deal earlier this week.
Although Birmingham are currently able to call upon the services of Jeremie Bela, Jonathan Leko and Graham, they were linked with a move for another winger yesterday.
A report from Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio suggested that the Blues were interested in signing Fabio Borini from Turkish side Fatih Karagumruk.
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Having played alongside the winger during his time at Sunderland, Birmingham technical director Craig Gardner was said to be pushing for a move.
Following his decision to join Karagumruk in January, Borini managed to deliver a host of impressive displays for the club in the Super Lig as he provided 11 direct goal contributions in 20 appearances.
However, despite being linked with a move to Birmingham, a fresh update has now cast doubt on the chances of the Championship club signing Borini.
Making reference to the speculation on his official Twitter account, Birmingham Mail journalist Brian Dick has suggested that he doesn't believe that there is any substance behind the rumour concerning the former Black Cats winger.
GIVEMESPORT's Joshua Cole says...
Whilst it is important to point out that this viewpoint isn't necessarily shared by Birmingham, it would be somewhat of a shock if Bowyer is able to complete a move for Borini.
After being handed the opportunity to prove his worth by Karagumruk earlier this year following Hellas Verona's decision to release him in September 2020, the winger seems to be settled in Turkey and thus may not necessarily want to leave this summer.
Although Karagumruk could secure a respectable fee for Borini due to the fact that his current deal runs until 2022, they may find it more beneficial to keep him at the club as he managed to average an impressive WhoScored match rating of 7.16 in the Super Lig last season.
Providing that Birmingham are not in the running for the 30-year-old, it will be interesting to see whether Bowyer decides to make some further alterations to his side between now and August.
By getting his recruitment spot on, the Blues boss could lead his side to a positive start to the upcoming campaign.
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