Birmingham City might well have made promotion out of League One look like a walk in the park - with the Blues winning the title on a mammoth 111 points - but they won't be heading into the Championship completely naive about the challenges they'll face.

Of course, the first reality check for Chris Davies' men heading back into the second-tier is the fact they're no longer a big fish in a small pond, with plenty of high-stature clubs like Birmingham aiming to take the elite division by storm.

Moreover, a whole host of clubs in the Championship will be able to splash the cash to the same level as the well-backed Blues, who sent shockwaves through League One when purchasing Jay Stansfield for £15m.

Regardless, the West Midlands giants will still fancy their chances of clinching immediate back-to-back promotion successes if all goes to plan, especially if a Championship-calibre striker ends up joining Davies' confident camp.

Birmingham ready to swoop for free agent striker

As per journalist Alan Nixon, the newly promoted side is now ready to swoop in for soon-to-be free agent Oli McBurnie.

Nixon states that Birmingham are placed at the front of the queue in trying to land the La Liga-based striker, with McBurnie free to leave his current side Las Palmas this summer off the back of a clause in his contract allowing him to depart if the club were relegated.

The former Sheffield United favourite is also on the radar of Hull City and another of his former employers in Swansea City, but it appears that Birmingham is leading the way for his coveted signature.

How McBurnie can be Birmingham's next Adams

If the Blyes were successful in landing the explosive Scotsman, Birmingham would be thanking their lucky stars that they held off going after reported target Che Adams, with McBurnie a cost-effective striker that's very much in the same mould as the Torino marksman.

Unfortunately, Birmingham have been on the receiving end of McBurnie's goalscoring prowess in the Championship in recent times, with a powerful header breaking St. Andrew's hearts back in 2023.

Adams isn't known to be the most effective attacker when it comes to heading home crosses, but both the 28-year-old and McBurnie - away from sharing the same national allegiance - do have plenty in common when assessing their deadly finishing ability in the second tier.

Impressively, McBurnie is only five shy of Adams' bumper 49-goal tally in the Championship despite lining up for 31 fewer clashes than his prolific counterpart.

He could well end up even eclipsing the 28-year-old's amount if he relocates to St. Andrews very soon, with his last season at the demanding level seeing him bag a standout 13 strikes as Sheffield United moved up to the Premier League.

This potent edge has seen him be labelled as "unbelievable" by ex-Blades teammate John Egan, with McBurnie's output not drying up at all in Spain either, with five strikes registered last season in all competitions.

Birmingham only had a minor role to play in Adams' career in the end, as seen in the 28-year-old going on to be a Premier League-capable talent with Southampton.

But, with McBurnie, Birmingham could be able to play a huge part in him coming back to England and being an overwhelming success, with Davies already licking his lips at the prospect of having the Scotsman at his disposal, alongside Stansfield and Alfie May.