Charlton Athletic in race for ex Premier League star as Birmingham City £4m transfer faces collapse

League One action takes a pause for several clubs in the division this weekend with the FA Cup coming to town. Charlton Athletic travel to Preston North End while Leyton Orient host Derby County in two enticing fixtures.

Even with focus turning to the cup competition, all eyes remain on the League One table with the Addicks looking to make up ground and return to the play-off spots after a strong recent run of form.

Charlton Athletic, Mansfield Town and Birmingham City feature in your Thursday League One round-up.

Charlton Athletic in transfer race for ex Premier League man

Charlton Athletic are competing with League One rivals Mansfield Town and Lincoln City to recruit former Premier League midfielder Sam Clucas from National League side Oldham Athletic this month.

That's according to Football Insider, with the outlet claiming a transfer race is on between the third tier rivals. Clucas was released by Rotherham United last summer and snapped up by Oldham Athletic as a free agent.

It is reported that there is a clause in Clucas' deal that could make the player available on a free transfer again this month, which has piqued the interest of the Addicks. Clucas would certainly arrive at The Valley with bags of experience.

The 34-year-old achieved promotion to the Premier League with Hull City via the play-offs in 2016 and established himself in the top flight the following season. The Tigers were relegated that campaign and Clucas stayed for another year before returning to the Premier League when joining Swansea City in 2017.

The midfielder has only made 41 League One appearances during his career, coming while at Chesterfield, with the majority of his outings coming in the Championship.

The Addicks won’t rush Chuks Aneke

Charlton Athletic boss Nathan Jones won't rush striker Chuks Aneke back into action after his injury battles this season. The 31-year-old has managed just 11 appearances this season and played his first minutes since October when coming off the bench against Reading.

Speaking to the South London Press, the Welshman said: “Chuks is Chuks. We all know about Chuks, I can’t speak anymore about Chuks. I wish I could give him my hamstrings and calves! I’d gradually swap them. Groins….everything. He can have them and we’d get him for longer.

“It was harsh on Hylts [Danny Hylton] to come off the bench but Chuks was electric in training on Friday, so we made that decision. We know if we get a fit and aggressive Chuks Aneke he is a real asset.”

Birmingham City transfer hits snag

Free spending Birmingham City are close to completing the signing of Hannover centre-back Phil Neumann this month with the 27-year-old already passing a medical at the Midlands club.

That's the latest from Football Insider, but the outlet adds that the deal could still hit a hurdle with negotiations between the two clubs not quite finalised. The Blues saw a £3.4 million bid rejected by the German side last summer and renewed talks have stalled again with Hannover insisting they want £4 million for the player.

The former Germany under-20 international has been a mainstay in the Hannover defence this season and holds the versatility to play both in the centre of defence and as a right-back. A move to St Andrew's would be another head-turning coup for the promotion-chasing side that broke the League One transfer record last summer.