Birmingham City badge, Frank Lampard, Wrexham badge
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Birmingham City and Wrexham are both harbouring ambitions of a top eight finish in the Championship this season, and as both clubs prepare for the next block of upcoming games, they seem to have both used the international break to scout potential January targets.
Birmingham and Wrexham both earned promotion to the Championship in 2025, and both have also shown that they are not afraid of throwing around their money in the transfer market when given the opportunity over the past couple of years.
In preparation for this campaign, both clubs will have set their sights on a place in the play-off as the bare minimum, and with two wins each in their opening eight league games, they would have been hoping for a better beginning to the year.
The three-week international break will have given clubs the opportunity to step back and assess their squads so far, outlining any areas in need of potential improvement, as both have seemingly identified the need for a new centre-forward, but face Premier League competition for one of their targets.
Coventry City join Birmingham City and Wrexham in the race for Kristian Lien
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According to TEAMtalk, both Birmingham and Wrexham are interested in Djurgarden striker Kristian Lien, though the Championship duo face a threat from Premier League outfit Coventry City for the Norwegian's signature.
The 25-year-old striker has been in scintillating form in the Swedish top flight after making the move from Dutch outfit FC Groningen in January 2026, but could be on the move to England in the next few months.
German outfits Borussia Mönchengladbach and Freiburg are also reportedly tracking Lien ahead of a possible move this January, as the on-fire forward has a host of top European clubs vying for his services.
Why are Coventry City, Birmingham City, and Wrexham interested in Kristian Lien?
Birmingham City general view
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Lien came through the youth system of Norwegian side IK Start before numerous spells in the lower tiers of his home country, where he captured the attention of Groningen in 2023.
He struggled to nail down a place at the Dutch outfit, and subsequent moves to Kristiansund and HamKam have followed; now, he has shot himself into European contention with Djurgarden.
Kristian Lien's career stats by club via FotMob, as of October 6
Years
2019-2021
2020-2022
2022-2023
2023-2026
2024
2025
2026-
With 18 goals and five assists in 26 games across all competitions for Djurgarden, the 25-year-old is hot property, though whether he could translate that form to an increasingly difficult league remains to be seen.
Coventry have a plethora of centre-forwards to boast about, including Ellis Simms, Haji Wright, Sidiki Cherif, and Brandon Thomas-Asante, and any move for Lien would surely indicate that one or two of those may be on the move.
Birmingham and Wrexham can both claim to lack a real star centre-forward at the moment, though the Championship duo may be better off taking the back seat on this deal.
Liam Gallagher, Championship badge, Paul McCartney
Liam Gallagher, Championship badge, Paul McCartney
Birmingham City and Wrexham should allow Coventry City to win Kristian Lien race
"Welcome to Wrexham" badge painted on the sidewall of a house
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Though he is now 25, Lien has only really displayed top form across the past couple of seasons with HamKam and Djurgarden, and whether he could replicate that form in either the Premier League or Championship remains to be seen.
Birmingham signed August Priske for around £6 million from the Swedish outfit only last January, and moving for another one of their strikers when the Dane has yet to hit form for the Blues would be a huge gamble.
Though Marvin Ducksch looks to be on the way out and Luis Vazquez hasn't started great, it would be a bold move for Chris Davies' side to make a serious move for Lien at this stage, as it would be for Wrexham.
The 34-year-old is still Phil Parkinson's trusted centre-forward, more often than not starting ahead of Sam Smith and Bailey Cadamarteri, but given his age, he could do with increased rest periods throughout the Championship season and be used sparingly where he can be more effective.
Whilst Smith has proven to be a solid option for the North Wales side, a new star centre-forward could be an option for Wrexham come January, hence the link to Lien, though whether he is the striker to fire the Red Dragons to the Premier League remains doubtful.
Chris Davies and Phil Parkinson must demand more from their current striker options amid Kristian Lien link
Chris Davies, Birmingham City vs Southampton
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Whilst Lien would certainly be an interesting option for both Birmingham and Wrexham, given he has only recently started to find the back of the net regularly in Scandinavia, his acquisition would be a big risk.
Instead, Davies is better off demanding more from the likes of Priske and Vazquez, as is Parkinson demanding more from Moore and Smith, rather than taking an expensive gamble on an unproven forward.
Whether either club will turn their interest into a bid come the winter remains to be seen, but with Coventry's reported interest, both of these clubs ought to take a backseat on this deal.