Birmingham City smashed the League One transfer record as they completed the signing of striker Jay Stansfield on a seven-year deal from Fulham on deadline day.
Stansfield spent last season on loan at Birmingham and scored 12 goals in 43 Championship appearances. However, this was not enough to keep the Blues up as they were relegated to the third tier.
This did not stop Birmingham pursuing a permanent deal, though, and on Friday night they got their man, albeit at a costly price.
It is understood that Fulham will receive a guaranteed £15m, with up to £5m in add-ons, meaning the total fee could rise to £20m.
The previous record was the £4m that Birmingham spent on Austrian centre back Christoph Klarer earlier this summer.
Jay Stansfield has returned to Birmingham City for a League One transfer record fee
Stansfield scored 13 league goals while on loan at Birmingham last season
He scored for Fulham against Birmingham on Tuesday night, but has now returned to St Andrew’s on a permanent deal
Fulham also ensured there is a 20 per cent sell-on clause included, while there will also be a £100,000 bonus if Birmingham get promoted back to the Championship.
Following confirmation of his record-breaking move, Stansfield told BluesTV: ‘I am absolutely buzzing. It has been a long time coming, I think.
‘When I left, from the awards evening, the reaction from all the fans, even though it was a really tough season for Birmingham as a club and it didn’t end the way we wanted it to end, I thought it was only right for me to come back here and take on this next challenge, and be part of such an amazing club and amazing project.’
The deal is still subject to league and FA clearance, but no issues are expected.
Stansfield played for Fulham against Birmingham on Tuesday night in the Carabao Cup, scoring in a 2-0 win for Marco Silva’s side.
But he will now be pulling on a Birmingham shirt once more with the aim of helping them return to the Championship at the first time of asking.
Birmingham have made a strong start to their League One campaign, picking up seven points from three games, leaving them in fifth place in the early stages of the season.