Bristol City's play-off spot rivals to net huge £18m transfer boost as Leeds United swoop for PL striker

Bristol City have allowed both Fally Mayulu and Kal Naismith to leave Ashton Gate on loan after the two players joined Sturm Graz and Luton Town respectively.

Robins boss Liam Manning claimed Mayulu needed more consistent minutes to harness his potential despite previously claiming that the youngster was progressing well in training.

He explained: "It was a decision when you look at it of where Fally was at, the progress that he made and what does he need in order to progress," the head coach explained. "He's still an extremely young player with lots of potential. When you look at it, minutes have been quite challenging but I'm still adamant he had progressed and shown signs that were heading in the right direction and it's how do you make sure you continue that progression?

"It was going to be difficult here in terms of the minutes probably needed for him to transfer the good stuff from training into games. He's obviously familiar with the league out there and in terms of now going back there and trying to transfer some of the stuff we've done here with him. Some of the bits around the intensity, the focus, the way we work and he's got an opportunity now to go and transfer that into games.”

While with Naismith, who has been plagued by injuries, he explained the former Portsmouth man simply needed first team minutes to get back to his best.

"I think to be fair to Naisy, he's had a frustrating period of time probably here, with us and probably pre-that with injuries, match minutes, availability etc," explained the head coach. "For Naisy, he needed to go out and play."

Bristol City’s double departure comes just days before a crucial Championship showdown with in-form Oxford United. The Robins recorded a key 2-1 victory over Blackburn last time out and will be keen to pile the pressure on sixth placed Middlesbrough with a win.

Ahead of this weekend’s round of games, we look at the latest January transfer headlines from the Championship.

Leeds United and Sunderland in £18m battle for Southampton man

Championship promotion hopefuls Leeds United and Sunderland are both interested in signing Southampton forward Cameron Archer.

The England Under-21 international has struggled for form at St Mary’s Stadium with just five goals in 25 appearances for a team that are rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table. The 23-year-old, who progressed through the Aston Villa academy has a reported price tag of around £18m and is still held in high regard from his successful loan spells at Middlesbrough and Preston in the past.

BBC Sport understands Leeds United have held talks with the Saints over a possible deal this month while Sunderland Echo also reports that the Black Cats are considering making a move for the young forward.

Coventry City close in on Swansea star

Matt Grimes is expected to complete a late January move to Coventry City after the Sky Blues agreed a deal for the midfielder with Swansea City. Grimes, who will be 30 this summer, is Swansea's highest-paid player and signed a new deal at the Swansea.com Stadium in the summer, but has since decided he wants to move the club on a permanent basis this month.

The Swans skipper has racked up 333 appearances for the club across all competitions and has been an asset at Championship level with 16 goals and 33 assists while thriving in the defensive midfield role. The midfielder is expected to move to Frank Lampard’s side for a reported figure of around £4m as the Sky Blues look to boost their play-off ambitions.