Sunderland Championship rivals in dramatic deadline day fight over Leeds United player

Former Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray is reportedly at the heart of a last-minute transfer battle as Thursday night's deadline draws ever closer.

As initially reported by the Sheffield Star, the former Black Cats boss is reportedly keen to reunited with Leeds United winger Ian Poveda at Birmingham City after working with the 23-year-old during his managerial reign at Blackburn Rovers. The Colombia international agreed to spend the 2021/22 season on loan at Ewood Park and scored one goal and provided two assists in 10 appearances for Rovers before his loan was cut short by a serious ankle ligament injury.

The talented winger spent last season on loan at Blackpool and returned to Elland Road at the end of the campaign. He has made a handful of appearances for Leeds during the first half of their push for promotion back into the Premier League but could leave the club before Thursday night's transfer deadline.

Sheffield Wednesday have been considering a move for Poveda for the majority of the January transfer window and are believed to have submitted an offer for a permanent deal - but their offer has now been matched by Birmingham as Mowbray looks to complete his fourth new signing since he took charge at St Andrews earlier this month.

After taking QPR midfielder Andre Dozzell on loan, Mowbray added South Korean star Seung-ho Paik to his ranks before returning to Sunderland to complete a move for Alex Pritchard after the former Norwich City and Tottenham Hotspur play indicated he longer wished to play for the Black Cats. Poveda could well become the latest new addition at Birmingham - although Mowbray and the Blues hierarchy face a race against time to complete a deal before the midnight deadline.