Birmingham City are eager to close a deal with manager Alex McLeish.
The Mirror says Birmingham chief Peter Pannu has held fresh contract talks with McLeish and is willing to sanction a major pay-rise for the Scot.
City vice-president Pannu upset McLeish with comments attributed to him claiming the Scot was 'no Jose Mourinho'.
But Carson Yeung's right-hand man and acting chairman Pannu promptly rang McLeish, 51, on Wednesday to explain the remarks.
He has hailed the job McLeish has done since Yeung's takeover last October after the club's ninth place finish last term.
