Exclusive: How much money Birmingham City would get if Jordan James is sold to Burnley | OneFootball

Birmingham City will bank a cash windfall if Jordan James returns to the Premier League this summer, FLW understands.

Birmingham City will bank a windfall if Jordan James returns to the Premier League amid links to Burnley - but it won’t significantly alter their transfer plans, Football League World has exclusively been informed.

The good news for the Second City club is that they will receive some cash. The bad news for Birmingham is that it won’t seriously boost their summer.

The St Andrew’s club is looking at a pay-day if speculation linking the Wales international with a move to Burnley comes good.

Birmingham City set for cash windfall if Jordan James makes Premier League move

Football League World has exclusively been informed that Birmingham City will receive a cash windfall if midfielder Jordan James makes a move to the Premier League this summer.

A fee of £12m has been mooted for the midfielder by journalist Alan Nixon reporting via his Patreon last weekend, who is currently on duty with Craig Bellamy’s Wales squad ahead of their World Cup qualifiers.

Nixon has claimed that the Blues academy graduate could be viewed as an alternative option if Josh Brownhill departs Turf Moor this summer. But, the money may not be as significant as many Blues’ fans hope.

It appears that the transfer fee handed over last season for the 20-year-old midfielder by his current club, Rennes, was far higher than originally thought. The fee was around 8m Euros/£6.7m - which leaves Brum with a lower bonus than expected.

Sources have confirmed to Football League World that a clause was inserted into the contract to protect James’s future value. That would be at least ten per cent, even allowing for the valuation placed on the fee.

But that would only amount to around just over £330,000 - even if the Clarets push through the deal at £12m.

Jordan James has been impressing for Rennes in Ligue 1 - Blues may wish they'd inserted chunkier sell-on clause

There will probably be many Birmingham City fans wishing that James had emerged from their academy ranks and into a first-team star just that little bit later than he did.

Given how financially healthy a position the club are in under their new owners, and with obvious ambitions to reach the very top of English football, there's perhaps a greater chance Blues would've been able to retain his services had he burst onto the scene slightly later than he did.

By the time Tom Wagner arrived at St Andrew's in May 2023, the young midfielder had already played over 50 Championship games for the Blues, and word of his talent and potential had already leaked out across the continent.

Therefore, following the club's relegation to League One, making a move to French Ligue 1 side Rennes was understandably a highly attractive move for the Welshman, and he's been impressing there this past season.

Despite only making 23 league appearances and just 14 starts, when James has been given the opportunity to show what he can do, he's largely taken it.

Part of the reason why he's not been able to carve out a consistent starting role this past season is down to the strength in depth Rennes have in central midfield, with Ludovic Blas, Djaoui Cisse, Ismael Kone, Seko Fofana and Azor Matusiwa all proving to be quality players in their own right.

Therefore, James may well see a move to Burnley as perhaps offering him a greater chance to play more regular football, and that will benefit Birmingham City with a slight cash injection.

However, they will surely wish they'd been able to add a chunkier sell-on fee to his Rennes contract given the transfer fee being touted for his signature this summer.