The Tamworth Herald is reporting that defender Ben Richards-Everton is currently training with Championship side Birmingham City.

The 23 year-old has not trained at all with Tamworth this summer despite the club re-engaging the terms of his contract and manager Dave Belford is insisting that the player will not leave unless the club is given compensation due to Richards-Everton being under the age of 24.

Defender Ben Richards-Everton helped Tamworth reach the third round of the FA Cup last season
Defender Ben Richards-Everton helped Tamworth reach the third round of the FA Cup last season

In fact, Belford is right to feel let down by his defender as he only found out through a third party that Richards-Everton was at Birmingham.

"He played for them in a pre-season friendly at Leamington", said Belford in an interview.

"Whether they decide to follow up their interest, we will see but, regardless, I think that it is unlikely that we see Ben in a Tamworth shirt again. That said, the message for Birmingham City or anyone is that Ben won't be leaving the club until he is 24, unless we receive a transfer fee or it goes to a tribunal.

"We have done everything we can as a club to help Ben over the last 18 months. We have invested a lot of time and effort in developing Ben as a player and we deserve some reward. The fee we have set is miniscule in my opinion."

Despite being relegated from the Conference last season, defender Richards-Everton was a key player for The Lambs. His inspired performances helped the club go on a FA Cup run that saw them knock out League Two side Cheltenham and reach the third round where they were defeated by Bristol City.

The performances of the former England C Team international have caught the eye of many Football League clubs however it is Birmingham who have made the first move.