Carson Yeung is expected to complete a full-blown takeover of Birmingham City in the New Year.

Yeung is poised to take out a 29.9% stake in the club by the middle of next month for around £15million after co-owners David Sullivan and David and Ralph Gold decided to sell just under half of their combined shares, which total 78%.

But his initial plans to take complete control for around £50million has only been temporarily shelved.

The additional six months will give Yeung time to generate the extra funds but also allows Sullivan and the Golds to determine whether he has the best interests of City at heart.

Yeung was previously the subject of speculation involving possible takeovers at Reading and Sheffield Wednesday, although nothing materialised.

But he has now taken a sizeable step towards becoming the owner of Blues after holding talks over the weekend with club chiefs.

Yeung's representatives carried out due diligence last week before he arrived at Birmingham after twice postponing visits because of business commitments.