Birmingham City’s owners Knighthead are weighing a £297m proposal that would include an immediate £81m payment, and the club has been asked to respond to the offer. The wider proposal is part of a Premier League “New Deal” with the EFL that would more than double annual solidarity payments by 2028-29 in exchange for agreements on cost controls, fixture changes and the 3pm Saturday blackout ahead of new TV deals.
Skip to main content Birmingham Live - Birmingham news, features, information and sport News What's On Black Country Villa More Search News Latest News Midlands News UK and World Property Business Motors Nostalgia Cost of Living Money Travel Celebs and TV Health Birmingham News Black Country Solihull Walsall Wolverhampton Dudley Sutton Coldfield Edgbaston West Bromwich Sandwell Tamworth Erdington Moseley Birmingham City Council Worcestershire News By Area Sport Villa Birmingham City Albion Wolves Football news Transfer News Warwickshire CCC What's On Food & Drink Things To Do Gigs and Clubs Shopping Family In Your AreaPartner Stories CLOSE Buy a Paper Funeral Notices Jobs Advertise with Us Newsletter signup Book an Ad Public Notices Buy a photo Search News Latest News Midlands News UK and World Property Business Motors Nostalgia Cost of Living Money Travel Celebs and TV Health Birmingham News Black Country Solihull Walsall Wolverhampton Dudley Sutton Coldfield Edgbaston West Bromwich Sandwell Tamworth Erdington Moseley Birmingham City Council Worcestershire News By Area Sport Villa Birmingham City Albion Wolves Football news Transfer News Warwickshire CCC What's On Food & Drink Things To Do Gigs and Clubs Shopping Family In Your Area Partner Stories Buy a Paper Funeral Notices Jobs Advertise with Us Newsletter signup Book an Ad Public Notices Buy a photo Sport Football Birmingham City FC Birmingham City owners Knighthead consider £297m deal with instant £81m bonus Blues have been asked to provide a response to the offer A general view of St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park Comments Sport Jamie Gardner Press Association Chief Sports Reporter 10:27, 25 Sep 2026 Updated 10:39, 25 Sep 2026 The Premier League has restated its desire to wrap up a 'New Deal' with the EFL as soon as possible, which would mean solidarity payments to the 72 EFL clubs, including Birmingham City, more than doubling. The 10-year offer was presented to EFL clubs last week after discussions between the leagues at executive level. Documents seen by the Press Association show that it includes an undertaking to increase solidarity payments to the EFL by £163million a year by 2028-29, more than double the current estimate of £134m. The deal also pledges £81m extra in the current season. The extra money is understood to be tied to new agreements on cost controls, a commitment to reduce the Carabao Cup semi-finals to one leg to combat fixture congestion, and to agree a position on the Saturday 3pm blackout ahead of the next domestic television deals. Article continues below Birmingham City are coping without Kai Wagner - he's thriving without them Birmingham City's upcoming opponents close on new manager appointment Top-flight clubs gathered for their first shareholders' meeting since the season kicked off in London on Thursday and expressed their commitment to doing a deal swiftly. "Since a fair and generous proposal was formally offered to the EFL last month, discussions have continued between the leagues' executives, and it was presented to EFL clubs last week," a league statement read. "The Premier League remains committed to concluding a football-led solution as soon as possible so additional money can flow to EFL clubs this season." That reference to a "football-led solution" is a nod to the possibility that the Independent Football Regulator's 'backstop' powers could be triggered by either league to impose a solution if the leagues cannot agree one themselves. Article continues below The IFR is set to publish its 'State of the Game' review in the next few weeks. It will give the regulator's position on the financial health of the English game, and there is a school of thought that the findings could strengthen the EFL's hand in the negotiations. However, EFL clubs are understood to have been warned by league executives that invoking the backstop could mean they are kept waiting up to two years for a new agreement to be signed off, and that the outcome would be difficult to predict. There was no sense on Thursday that the publication of the 'State of the Game' review was acting as a deadline for the deal to be done in the minds of the Premier League or its clubs. EFL clubs have been asked to provide their feedback on the Premier League's offer ahead of further meetings early next month. Article continues below The EFL declined to comment with discussions ongoing. ENJOYED THIS STORY? Choose Birmingham Live as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value. Follow Birmingham Live: Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Comments News What's On Sport Travel Cost of Living Money Motors Shopping Follow Birmingham Live on socials: InYourArea mynewsassistant Beauty Box Subscription Yimbly Shop Marketplace Public Notices Contact Us About Us Work for us Advertise with Us Mirror Bingo Buy a photo How to Complain Corrections and Clarifications Feedback Terms and Conditions Privacy Notice AI Notice Cookie Notice Sell Your Story Bands Directory Newsletters Signup Syndication & Licensing Notifications and Alerts help Privacy Choices Do not sell or share my data - Opt-out Request HonoredDo not sell my Personal Information © 2026 a Reach plc subsidiary At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the "Do Not Sell or Share my Data" button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Terms and Conditions. Accept ×
Curated by Taleb Kabbara · Source: www.birminghammail.co.uk
Premier League, English Football League, Independent Football Regulator, EFL, Birmingham Live, Reach plc, Press Association
Premier League: The Premier League is the top-tier English football league that has presented a 10-year offer to the EFL proposing to more than double solidarity payments and pledging an extra £81m this season.
English Football League: The English Football League is the governing body overseeing 72 professional clubs that has been presented with the Premier League's 10-year offer and has been asked to provide feedback on that proposal.
Independent Football Regulator: The Independent Football Regulator (IFR) is the regulator set to publish a 'State of the Game' review and which holds 'backstop' powers that could be triggered to impose a solution between the leagues.
EFL: EFL is the commonly used name for the English Football League, representing 72 professional clubs that were asked to provide feedback on the Premier League's 10-year offer.
Birmingham Live: Birmingham Live is the news outlet that published the article and is presenting local news and updates about Birmingham City and the wider negotiations between the Premier League and EFL.
This article is part of Prism's real-time sports business intelligence radar, which tracks sponsorships, partnerships, media rights, stadium deals, and investments across global sports. View the full intelligence profile for each company to access active analysis modules, deal timelines, and connected company networks.