Sources: Birmingham City in preliminary talks to appoint Mark Warburton amid Lee Bowyer latest
Birmingham City have held preliminary talks about appointing Mark Warburton as their new manager, Football Insider can exclusively reveal.
Lee Bowyer is set to be sacked and a replacement is being targeted by the club's prospective new owners.
A source with knowledge of Birmingham's situation has told Football Insider that Warburton, 59, is a leading contender to replace Bowyer now the season has ended.
Early discussions have been hold over the possibility of the former Rangers, Nottingham Forest, Brentford and QPR boss taking over at St Andrew's.
Warburton ended his three-year tenure at QPR with a 1-0 win over Swansea City on Saturday.
It had been announced on 28 April that he would be leaving Loftus Road at the end of the season although he remained in placed for the final two Championship matches.
QPR ended the season in 11th place after being play-off contenders until recent months, when their form and results nosedived.
Birmingham, by contrast, had a poor season that resulted in a 20th-place league finish and a haul of just 47 points.
Football Insider revealed last month (17 April) that Bowyer, 45, was fighting for his job despite steering the team clear of relegation.
He has a contract that runs until the summer of 2023.
The prospective manager change comes at a time of frenzied activity behind the scenes at St Andrew's.
Birmingham City are on the verge of a £32 million takeover that could be completed within four weeks.