BIRMINGHAM City has joined Newcastle in the race to sign China captain Zheng Zhi from Shandong Luneng, British media reported yesterday.
Zheng spent four months on loan at Charlton last season, making 12 appearances and scoring against the Magpies.
City’s interest in the 26-year-old player comes only a week after Hong Kong businessman Carson Yeung became the club’s leading shareholder.
And Yeung has made it clear he sees the Far East as a lucrative market for the Blues to exploit during the coming months.
“We all know the Premier League in England is very popular. I believe it will get even more popular in China. The market is bigger,” Yeung said Monday.
Yeung, a former hairdresser who reportedly made his fortune by investing in penny stocks, said he hoped to be able to report on new developments in the next three months.
Yeung bought his stake in a deal worth about 15 million pounds (US$31 million). It would allow Yeung to trigger a bid to assume full control.
On Monday, Yeung, who purchased the club’s shares through his clothing company Grandtop International Holdings, confirmed that he was considering buying out the remaining shares in the club.
If he is successful in a full takeover, Birmingham City would become the ninth English Premier League side to be owned by foreign investors. (SD-Agencies)