Birmingham have made their first move in the January transfer window by offering Liverpool £8 million for the services of Ryan Babel.
The move for the Dutch winger is the first sign that Birmingham City owner Carson Yeung is serious about backing manager Alex McLeish with the finances needed to continue the club's run of impressive form this season.
Having won seven and drawn four in their last 11 fixtures, McLeish has made no secret of the club's intentions to go for a place in Europe, and a player of Babel's calibre is what his squad is lacking.
According to the Independent however, a deal is far from being completed as Liverpool value the 23 year-old at £12m and in light of their financial woes the Merseyside club are likely to hold out for as much as possible.
With Charles N'Zogbia, Miguel Michel and Kevin Kuranyi also believed to be on Birmingham's wish list, McLeish has made no secret of the fact that come the end of the month the club hope to have made "a marquee signing".
"We won't rule out a marquee signing if there is someone out there who I think can make a huge difference to this team," he said. "We would try if we could but, again, there has got to be a cut-off point.
"I still don't think we have to spend £20m or £40m or whatever was quoted at the time. I don't think there's any point in bringing who are not as good as what we have - you don't progress doing that."
The move for the Dutch winger is the first sign that Birmingham City owner Carson Yeung is serious about backing manager Alex McLeish with the finances needed to continue the club's run of impressive form this season.
Having won seven and drawn four in their last 11 fixtures, McLeish has made no secret of the club's intentions to go for a place in Europe, and a player of Babel's calibre is what his squad is lacking.
According to the Independent however, a deal is far from being completed as Liverpool value the 23 year-old at £12m and in light of their financial woes the Merseyside club are likely to hold out for as much as possible.
With Charles N'Zogbia, Miguel Michel and Kevin Kuranyi also believed to be on Birmingham's wish list, McLeish has made no secret of the fact that come the end of the month the club hope to have made "a marquee signing".
"We won't rule out a marquee signing if there is someone out there who I think can make a huge difference to this team," he said. "We would try if we could but, again, there has got to be a cut-off point.
"I still don't think we have to spend £20m or £40m or whatever was quoted at the time. I don't think there's any point in bringing who are not as good as what we have - you don't progress doing that."
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