Exeter City handed Jay Stansfield boost thanks to Birmingham City and Tom Wagner | OneFootball

Exeter City have received a much-welcomed financial boost involving Birmingham City star Jay Stansfield

League One outfit Exeter City have received a considerable financial boost involving former striker Jay Stansfield, with the Grecians having now collected an early payment of transfer installments as part of the sell-on fee in his move from Fulham to Birmingham City.

The now-Blues talisman rose through the Exeter youth ranks before switching to Fulham in 2019, with the Devon-based side shrewdly including a future sell-on clause in the deal to take him to Craven Cottage.

Stansfield struggled to complete a breakthrough into Fulham's first-team frame, making only 10 appearances throughout his five-year association with the Cottagers, although he did impress during a loan return to St James' Park in the 2022/23 campaign before moving to Birmingham the following summer.

The sharp-shooting striker scored 12 goals from 43 Championship appearances as Birmingham were relegated from the second-tier, and Blues turned heads when they swooped to acquire his services permanently in a stunning reported £15m switch on a seven-year contract.

Stansfield's return of 23 strikes across all competitions helped Chris Davies' side back to the Championship at the very first attempt, and he's already found the back of the net on nine occasions this term.

Back down at Exeter, meanwhile, the aforementioned sell-on clause coupled with financial issues plaguing the Grecians, has meant that City will have been keeping an even closer eye on his exploits at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park.

Indeed, Stansfield's move to Birmingham had been causing problems for Exeter, but Gary Caldwell's side have now been handed a much-needed boost.

Exeter City receive Jay Stansfield, Birmingham City transfer boost

Last week, it was reported by The Sunday Times that Exeter will receive 20 percent of the fee which took him to Birmingham on a permanent basis — equating to around £3 million — with those funds having been set to arrive in separate payments spread across seven years. Many of those payments were said to be scheduled from the fifth year onwards.

That report also detailed how fan-owned Exeter had been hit with a corporation tax bill regarding the full £3 million amount.

However, the cash-strapped outfit have now received a handsome financial boost, with BBC Radio Devon reporting that Birmingham have paid the club some of the due installments involving Stansfield's sell-on fee.

It remains unclear exactly how much Blues, who were in the same league as Exeter just last season, have shelled out, although it's undoubtedly fantastic news for all in the red-and-white quarters of Devon amid recent revelations of a second round of redundancies in further cost-cutting exercises in EX4.

Exeter City chairman Richard Pym reacts to Jay Stansfield transfer boost

Exeter, of course, are delighted to be receiving an advanced financial injection, with the transaction sure to be much more noticeable in the Grecians' accounts than it will be coming out of free-spending Birmingham.

While Exeter themselves haven't confirmed which club has paid the installment, chairman Richard Pym explained how the "immediate financial injection" has left the third-tier side "pleased" in a statement released by the Grecians.

Pym said: "We are pleased to confirm that this week we completed a banking transaction that brings forward the receipt of some deferred transfer monies.

"This step provides an immediate financial injection while we realign expenditure and continue to explore the opportunities available to secure the club's long-term future."