The possibility of Maxi Lopez and his team managing Championship side Birmingham City before considering a potential purchase is a condition set by the club's current owners and not Lopez, according to journalist Tom Ross.

On Sunday, it was revealed by Daily Mirror reporter James Nursey that the Argentine was interested in managing the second-tier outfit for two years with Birmingham Sports Holdings Ltd (BSHL) remaining in control of the club.

And if that period is successful, the 38-year-old and his team would be interested in acquiring the West Midlands outfit, with this party's interest seemingly serious after the ex-Barcelona player visited St Andrew's earlier this month.

Another potential party led by Donald Muir may have pulled out of the race to buy the Blues with the former Rangers director distancing himself from any takeover talk.

That could potentially put Lopez and his associates in pole position to take Lee Bowyer's side out of BSHL's hands, a possible deal that many Birmingham supporters may want to see materialise with a campaign ongoing to force the latter group out of the club.

This follows years of underachievement on the pitch, with large sections of the fanbase also unhappy with off-field matters, no real surprise considering they have recently lost their Category One academy status.

The Verdict:

For all parties' sake, it's probably time for BSHL to move on if they receive a reasonable offer for the club - because it's clear their relationship with the supporters is unsalvageable and they should look to sell up as quickly as possible.

However, they still have a duty to provide Bowyer with a clear summer budget and restrictions to work within with some of their second-tier rivals including Bristol City and Cardiff already moving to secure targets.

Considering Kristian Pedersen and Jeremie Bela are leaving the club along with their loanees, they need quite a few players to come in before the start of the 2021/22 campaign to give themselves the best possible chance of remaining afloat in the division again.

Nothing would boost the club more than a change of ownership though - because the injection of a fresh vision and voice at the club can only help on-field matters, both in providing a short-term morale boost and a bright long-term vision for the future.

If Lopez's team does come in, one of their main tasks will be connecting with the fanbase and establishing a good relationship between the club and its supporters, something the current owners have been unable to do.