Alex McLeish may not have given up hope of adding Michel to his Birmingham City squad.

The Blues manager spent much of the summer chasing the midfield player, who he felt would be a fine addition to his ranks as he looks to keep the club in the Premier League.

However, McLeish was forced to accept defeat in his attempts to sign the player due to a disagreement with Sporting Gijon on how to pay the £2.5million fee.

The Birmingham Mail now claim the St Andrews club could return for Michel when the January transfer window opens, by which time the Midlands side hope to be well on their way to survival.