The deal that would see Paul Richardson and Maxi Lopez buy Birmingham City has been held up due to the current owners failing to provide sufficient information to the EFL about the ownership structure.

Blues have been on the market for some time now, with former controversial Watford owner Laurence Bassini initially granted time to complete the purchase before it fell through.

Now, businessman and Blues fan Richardson, along with ex-Barcelona player Lopez, had hoped to finalise an agreement.

However, in a slightly concerning update, the Athletic revealed that they have hit a stumbling block in their bid, with the EFL needing further information from the current owners before they can proceed.

Crucially, the update states the potential new owners have done all they can at this stage, whilst they're also committed to putting more money in to 'meet the club’s running costs from the start of August'.

Yet, answers need to be provided to the Football League from the current owners, with doubts having been expressed in the past about who actually does own the club.

The verdict

This is not the update that Blues fans wanted and once again it means that there will be a delay when a quick solution was hoped.

Of course, this will also bring questions, including how the EFL could approve the current owners if they now have questions about them.

Ultimately though, it's encouraging that Richardson and Lopez remain keen and it will be interesting to see how this plays out, but this could be hanging over the club for a while yet as they prepare for the new season starting this weekend.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.