Paddy Davitt Birmingham chairman David Gold hinted yesterday they could be tempted into a quick sale for long time Norwich target Martin Taylor.

Paddy Davitt

Birmingham chairman David Gold hinted yesterday they could be tempted into a quick sale for long time Norwich target Martin Taylor.

Gold revealed Blues' boss Alex McLeish must sell to fund January transfer moves for a host of players headed by Everton attacker James McFadden and Hibs' defender David Murphy.

St Andrews' managing director Karren Brady rejected Norwich's reported £750,000 move last month for 28-year-old Taylor after a successful Carrow Road loan stint.

Cash rich Championship rivals QPR had a £1m bid accepted for the centre back but Taylor stalled on a potential West London move. Taylor has now been frozen out since returning to the Midlands and was omitted from Blues' midweek reserves' defeat at Reading.

Rangers have cooled their initial interest after capturing both Arsenal youngster Matthew Connolly and Wigan outcast Fitz Hall on permanent deals. Chelsea's England youth international Micheal Mancienne has also extended his initial loan deal.

McLeish has been told to wheel and deal to boost his transfer kitty - which includes compensation received by Wigan for former manager Steve Bruce. Gold hinted the ex-Blues' boss had emptied the Premier League club's transfer pot during the summer with a £13.6m spending spree on five players.

"We have always said the money generated by the football club can be spent by the football club," said Gold. "If you combine whatever we receive for players like Martin Taylor and Neil Danns with the balance from changing managers, that's around £5m.

"Anything above that would come from the owners. That has happened over the years but it is a back stop. Alex is a very measured guy and is not going to be held to ransom. He sees the club's money as his money. Steve Bruce spent all the money in the summer and promotion cost us a fortune in bonuses. Where we may have paid a player £2m, there could have been a £500,000 bonus."

Meanwhile, Roeder was yesterday widely linked with a £800,000 move for Sheffield United midfielder Chris Armstrong.

The 25-year-old has been an ever-present in Bryan Robson's struggling side this season, but the Blades' boss is reportedly looking to fund a move for Derby youngster David Jones and Portsmouth's experienced midfielder Richard Hughes.

City's East Anglian rivals Ipswich are confident of resurrecting a deal for much coveted Plymouth midfielder David Norris. Town chairman David Sheepshanks confirmed his club are still in the market for the Peterborough-born player after their original seven figure offer was knocked back.

"We now have bids for two other players on the table plus the David Norris offer which was rejected," he told the club's official site. "We are still in discussions with Plymouth and are keen on the player but we have other targets if it doesn't work out.

"We made a bid for a second player last week and on Tuesday made a bid for a third player. Of course we want to bring in new players to the squad but these things take time and it's important that we get the right players at the right price."