A source close to Birmingham has said the club was told by EFL officials it had to sell players in last January’s transfer window if it wanted to avoid breaching financial rules.
No English club has ever been told by a governing body that it has to sell players, or face punishment. The club refused to sell any players last January, feeling that the offers they received were well below market value - as such, they were in breach of the agreed business plan.
Birmingham have since been charged with breaking that business plan, a charge they have said they will challenge.