Kabongo Tshimanga's time at Chesterfield drawing to close with Birmingham City leading race for striker's signature

The fan favourite is likely to depart before the transfer window closes at 11pm tonight, with Birmingham City leading the race.

The Championship side were hoping to conclude a deal for Josh Maja from Bordeaux but the deal has collapsed and they have now turned their attention to Tshimanga.

Birmingham are in desperate need of a striker after starting the season with one win in seven, scoring only four times, leaving them third bottom

Town are holding out for a healthy fee, which will of course be announced as ‘undisclosed,’ but it seems that his time at the club is up.

The striker reported for training this morning but developments in the hours since means that Spireites fans should brace themselves for losing their star man.

Tshimanga joined from Boreham in August 2021 for an undisclosed fee, believed to be around £250,000, penning a three-year deal.

The 25-year-old has scored 27 goals in 34 appearances since signing from Boreham a year ago and he will go down in the history books as one of the club’s most prolific forwards.

He was on track to hit 30 plus goals last season before he suffered a fractured leg and dislocated ankle against Weymouth in February.

His record included two hat-tricks and scoring in seven consecutive games, bagging nine times in those matches.

Despite not playing in the last three months of the campaign, he was still named Chesterfield’s Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year.

The Congo-born man is yet to start this season, but has scored two in his last two appearances off the bench, including the winner against Altrincham on Monday, which looks set to be his last goal in a Chesterfield shirt.

He also scored the third goal in the win against Barnet last Friday, which was his first goal since returning from injury.

The move will of course be a blow to the top-of-the-table Spireites, who have started the season six games unbeaten, as they prepare to face Oldham Athletic this Saturday.