Carson Yeung's team hoping to unlock lucrative Chinese market for Birmingham City

The potential new owners of Birmingham City say they will help the Premier League football club crack the Chinese market should their takeover go through.

As Carson Yeung's proposed £81.5 million takeover of City gathers pace, Vico Hui, chief executive of Grandtop International, Yeung's investment vehicle which has launched the takeover attempt, was flying to the UK on Wednesday night to put the finishing touches to the deal.

Hui told the Telegraph Sport: "We will become the first Chinese owners of a club in the Premier League. Our business will be idolised. We will be bringing glory to the Chinese people."

He revealed that Grandtop, a sportswear and casual clothing manufacturer, was in the process of selling all its assets and restructuring its business in order to solely focus on Birmingham City.

"China has a huge market. We will try to promote the business. We may talk to the management about swapping players between China and the UK to improve Chinese football technique," he said.

Hui also said that Grandtop, and Yeung personally, had "a very good connection with the Chinese government" and that the company also has a good relationship with WinTV, the cable network which owns the rights to screen Premier League football in China.

Grandtop has secured a £57 million loan with which to complete the takeover. Hui said the loan, from Kingston Securities, which is headed by Li Ka Shing, the Hong Kong multi-billionaire, was merely a "bridging loan" to enable Grandtop to negotiate with Birmingham's owners while it restructured its own business and raised cash.

He insisted that the loan would only last for "six months" and that Birmingham City would carry "very little debt". He said: "I just want to make clear that if we didn't have enough finances, no one would have given us
£57 million to buy the club. We have the finances."

He also suggested that the club's good balance sheet had been a key factor in attracting him and Yeung to the deal. "There are no heavy debts," he said.

Hui added: "Birmingham is the second city in the UK. The stadium has a good location near the city centre, and the council has plans for a new stadium.

"This is also a very attractive business, financially. We are going to make sure Birmingham remains in the Premier League. That is our major priority."