Bristol City join two Championship rivals in £3m transfer race for Hibs star

Bristol City have reportedly joined the race to sign Hibernian forward Kevin Nisbet.

The Sun report that the Robins have joined Championship rivals Blackburn Rovers and Millwall in their pursuit of the Hibees striker. it adds City are ‘very keen’ on landing Nisbet and are expected to ‘ramp up their interest’ in the coming weeks.

Nisbet was watched by all three English clubs during Hibernian’s 2-1 win over St Mirren on Saturday. He did not score but played the entirety of the match.

The 26-year-old has 10 goals in 15 league matches this season and is managed by former Bristol City manager Lee Johnson. Nisbet has only played in Scotland during his career, and his most prolific spell came for Raith Rovers in the third tier of Scottish football. He has 10 senior Scotland caps with one goal against the Netherlands.

Glasgow-born Nisbet is under contract at Hibernian until the summer of 2024. Hibernian apparently accepted a £2.3m offer for him, but he opted against a move to Millwall in January.

He is the second striker to be linked with a move to Ashton Gate this week. Lincoln City forward Ben House was suggested as a transfer target, but BristolLive believe that he is not on their radar and there are ‘other priorities to focus on.

A new striker isn’t seen as an area that needs to be strengthened in immediately. Nigel Pearson’s focus this summer is a centre-back, given the lack of options in the position. City have Tommy Conway, Nahki Wells, Harry Cornick, and Sam Bell, who can all play as a striker or anywhere across the front line.

Another player linked with a move to City once the season concludes is Ross McCrorie at Aberdeen. It was reported a fortnight ago that Brian Tinnion had attended a Dons game, and watched over him with a fee of £2m reportedly discussed. McCrorie has since come out and stated he is focusing on finishing the season at Pittodrie, but did not fully rule out the rumours.