Birmingham manager Alex McLeish has spelt out his desire to sign on-loan midfielder Lee Bowyer on a permanent basis - providing his wage demands are not too high.

Bowyer, signed from West Ham on a temporary basis in January, played a major part in helping City regain their place in the Premier League at the first attempt.

McLeish would be happy for the former Leeds player to make the switch permanent but is aware that he may have to look elsewhere if his personal terms are excessive.

The Scot explained: "Lee would be a worthy addition to the Birmingham squad, a free transfer, although it depends on his demands. If his demands are too high, then we may have to look elsewhere, but it is not often that you don't have to pay a big transfer fee as well as big wages.

"We have to take everything into perspective. Stephen Carr is another who has been excellent since coming on a short-term basis initially. The quality he has shown from his experience with the Republic of Ireland, Tottenham and Newcastle also brought a lot to the team."

McLeish is due to meet the board of directors in the next few days to discover his budget but preliminary talks are already under way with David Sullivan, David Gold and co.