Bristol City braced for £2.5m transfer bid and 'battling' to keep star man from Championship rivals
Bristol City face a deadline day battle to decide the future of defender Zak Vyner amid Wrexham interest.
The future of Bristol City centre-back Zak Vyner remains uncertain amid reports that a rival Championship side are plotting a fresh transfer bid on the final day of the summer window.
Bristol City are hoping to agree a new contract with Vyner, whose current deal at Ashton Gate expires at the end of the season – but the 28-year-old has been the subject of interest from elsewhere and a fresh report from journalist Dareen Witcoop suggests that the club are “battling” to keep the defender with newly-promoted Wrexham set to launch a new bid worth £2.5m in an attempt to wrest Vyner away.
Will Zak Vyner leave Bristol City on transfer deadline day?
Wrexham have reportedly had two bids for Vyner turned down already but now seem set to test the Robins’ resolve once more with a third offer – and there may yet be interest from other sides with Vyner’s future set to be resolved on deadline day.
Derby County and Belgian outfit KAA Gent have also been linked with Vyner, a Bristol City academy graduate was who described as “the face of the club” by head coach Gerhard Struber following the 4-2 Championship win over Hull City on Saturday.
The Robins hope that Vyner will choose to commit his future to Bristol City but may be forced to consider a sale should he decide that his future lies away from Ashton Gate. It remains to be seen whether a £2.5m bid from Wrexham would be sufficient to sell Vyner even if he decides against agreeing a new contract.
ITV reporter Ross Arnott reports that he expects Bristol City to “stand firm” on Vyner and refuse offers from rival teams, but their resolve may be tested as deadline day progresses.
Vyner transfer just one story on a busy deadline day
Should Vyner leave the club on Monday then they will at least have a replacement already in place after Bristol City announced the season-long loan signing of Middlesbrough defender Neto Borges late on Sunday evening.
Struber has already admitted that further signings are likely, with a new striker a key priority regardless of the result of Wrexham’s interest in Vyner, while Darren Witcoop also reports that a number of Championship and League One teams have shown an interest in striking a loan deal for Sinclair Armstrong.
The success or failure of attempts to keep Vyner may be the biggest story of the day for Bristol City supporters, however, and Struber has underlined the importance of the defender to the club in recent comments to the media.
“He’s super important for the here and now, and if we were to lose him, I think this would do big damage for us,” Stuber told the press following the 4-2 victory over Hull City on Saturday. “I hope that nothing happens in this direction in the next few days. I have a very good connection with Zak, and I hope he also realises what he has on us, on the club.”
In other news, former Bristol City midfielder Josh Brownhill is set to choose between a move back to the Premier League or a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia on deadline day.