Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council's (SMBC) leader has said rumours Birmingham City Football Club could build a second major site at Arden Cross are "understandable" – but stressed no talks have taken place.

The club's owners Knighthead have plans to build a Sports Quarter complex based around a new 62,000 seater stadium named the Powerhouse in Bordesley Green.

The original plans were for that former Wheels site to also house training facilities for its men's, women's and academy teams as well as a 10,000 capacity stadium for club's women's team.

But speaking at the club's latest 'Open House' event on September 17, Nick Smith, the club's head of infrastructure, revealed: "We have taken the decision to relocate the training centre, the women's stadium and the youth stadium to an alternative location.

"We are still completely committed to the investment and creating a world-leading facility but we've taken it away from the Sports Quarter site and we're going to relocate it.

"I have not found that venue yet, we only made the decision a few weeks ago.

"We are committed and are actively looking for that site to create a world leading training facility for the men, women and youth of the club.

"The reason to move the training centre is to do it better because it was constrained on that site and constraining the other assets – the ambition is to deliver world class infrastructure."

Immediately after the announcement fans began speculating where the 80 acre site needed for those facilities could be built, and a lot of attention fell on the well-connected 340-acre Arden Cross site.

A huge regeneration is taking place on that land just over a mile east of Birmingham Airport.

It has been in the pipeline for years with £3.2 billion expected to be ploughed into the area.

The site is ideally located near to the NEC campus, the airport and Birmingham International railway station.

As the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) reported in June the Department for Transport confirmed development land around a new HS2 Interchange Station there will be available from 2030.

SMBC leader Cllr Karen Grinsell told the LDRS Birmingham City FC links are "pure speculation" with the current plans for the site to include thousands of homes and a new state-of-the-art 'HealthTech' Campus.

"We were up there last week with (development partner) Muse, HS2, everybody involved," the leader said.

"There is an outline plan for the site. There are no known conversations about any other use of the land.

"It is the time for any other interested parties who want to step forward.

"It's understandable (Arden Cross links). That is not what is being looked at currently – there has been no talks.

"It's rumour and speculation."

In June West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker described Arden Cross as a "once-in-a-generation opportunity to create high-paid jobs, grow our cutting-edge businesses and provide the new homes our people need."

And Maggie Grogan, managing director at Midlands at Muse, said: "Arden Cross has the connectivity, scale, and ambition to become one of the UK's most important regeneration and innovation destinations.

"By progressing the masterplan now we can ensure the first phases are ready to come forward from 2030."