Birmingham City join Derby County in the race to sign Super Eagles striker Philip Otele

ENGLISH Championship side Birmingham City  have stepped up their interest in Super Eagles winger Philip Otele in the hope of signing him before the close of the current summer transfer window.

Otele, 27, is currently playing for Swiss side Basel who have made it clear that they are prepared to sell the versatile forward if they get an offer of at least €5m. Birmingham City are hoping to gain promotion to the top flight of English football and are hoping that Otele, can help with this push.

However, the Midlands team will have to compete with Italian side Lecce for Otele's signature as they too have expressed an interest in signing him from the Swiss champions. According to GiveMeSport, Championship rivals Derby County have also already opened talks with Basel as they look to strengthen their attack ahead of the new season.

Lecce on the other hand have already held direct discussions with Basel and are regarded as one of the favourites to complete the signing. Fellow Serie A club Frosinone are also monitoring Otele, while clubs from the Saudi Pro League remain interested after tracking him in previous transfer windows.

A very flexible player, Otele's versatility has made him an attractive option for several clubs. Although naturally a left winger, he can also play on the right or operate as a centre-forward, giving coaches several attacking options.

Otele started with Teesside University and non-league side Wolviston FC in England before earning his first professional contract with Kauno Žalgiris in Lithuania in 2019. He later impressed in Romania with Uta Arad before enjoying a breakthrough campaign at CFR Cluj, where he scored 18 league goals during the 2023-24 season to finish as the Liga I joint top scorer.

His performances earned moves to Al Wahda in the United Arab Emirates and then FC Basel, where he rediscovered his best form by scoring nine goals in his first 18 matches and helping the Swiss club win the league title. In February 2026, Otele joined Hamburger on loan, scoring once in nine appearances, becoming the first Nigerian to score a Bundesliga goal for the German club.

However, Hamburg chose not to trigger their €4.5m purchase option, sending Otele back to Basel at the end of the campaign. On the international stage, Otele has won five caps for Nigeria since making his debut in a 2-2 draw against Jordan.

He registered his first assist for the Super Eagles during the 3-0 Unity Cup victory over Jamaica before featuring in friendlies against Poland and Portugal. His appearance as a late substitute in Nigeria's 2-1 defeat to Portugal marked the first loss of his international career, but it has done little to reduce interest in him.