By Tom Blackett

Birmingham City’s future is up in the air after prospective new owners Paul Richardson and Maxi Lopez withdrew their offer to buy the club.
The consortium headed by local businessman Richardson and ex-Barcelona striker Lopez began talks in July. Lopez claimed his consortium had paid a deposit and exchanged contracts to buy a 21 per cent stake.

But the proposed takeover remained under investigation by the EFL. The Blues have been owned by China-based Birmingham Sports Holdings Limited since 2016.

“Following several months of due diligence at Birmingham City Football Club...