According to the Daily Mail, Championship pair Blackburn Rovers and Birmingham City are among a host of sides chasing playmaker Jack Payne, who is available on a free transfer after leaving newly relegated Huddersfield Town.
Huddersfield Town confirmed that playmaker Jack Payne would be leaving the club this summer upon their relegation from the Premier League, but it has not taken long for the 24-year-old to catch the attention of a number of Football League clubs.
Championship pair Blackburn Rovers and Birmingham City are reportedly considering an approach for Payne this summer, with League One side Lincoln City and newly relegated Bolton Wanderers also said keen – but given Bolton’s financial situation, they could struggle to compete with the aforementioned sides. Newly promoted MK Dons and Oxford United have also been linked with a move for Payne this summer.
The 24-year-old started his career at Southend United, where he came through the youth academy and went on to play 88 times for the first-team, scoring 17 goals and providing 11 assists along the way. Payne has been at Huddersfield Town since joining from the Southend back in 2016 and has found most of his game time away from the John Smith’s Stadium.
He has enjoyed loan spells with Oxford United (34 games, seven goals and 12 assists, Blackburn Rovers (18 games, one goal and three assists) and Bradford City (47 games, nine goals and seven assists).
Now, he is on the search for a new club to join on a permanent basis, with a number of clubs to choose from. Championship sides would seemingly be Payne’s number one choice, but a move to League One could see him likely to be guaranteed game time, whereas in the second-tier he would probably have to compete more for a starting place.
With a number of clubs lurking, it will be interesting to see who moves first to try and tempt Payne into joining as the clubs prepare for the 2019/20 season.
