Bristol City rivals ‘close’ to Southampton agreement, Sunderland ‘tried’ to sign Mourinho target

Bristol City will not be in action in the Championship this weekend.

The Robins’ clash with Preston North End has been postponed as a mark of respect in the aftermath of the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

City’s last outing came in a 3-2 win over Blackburn Rovers last Saturday.

As things stand, there is currently no indication on whether or not Wednesday’s fixture against Norwich City and Saturday’s meeting with Burnley will go ahead as initially planned.

But while there is no action to discuss on the pitch, there is still plenty going on in the gossip columns.

With that in mind, here is Saturday’s Championship transfer roundup...

Reading ‘close’ to Walcott

Reading manager Paul Ince has revealed the Royals were “close” to signing Theo Walcott from Southampton this summer.

The former England international has fallen out of favour on the south coast, and had been touted for a potential exit prior to the transfer window closing last week.

But while Ince has revealed that his side made an effort to lure the forward to Berkshire, he has also admitted that the agreement was ultimately thwarted by financial issues.

As quoted by the Daily Echo, he said: “We were close to getting a deal for Theo Walcott.

“I spoke to him, we had a good conversation, but he had a year left at Southampton and we couldn’t make the figures work which is disappointing because the boy wanted to come.

“So now it’s a case of who’s out there on a free.”

Sunderland ‘tried’ for Sabiri

Sunderland “tried” to sign Sampdoria midfielder Abdelhamid Sabiri in the summer transfer window, according to Italian news outlet SampNews24.

The Black Cats are understood to have held talks over a potential move for the 25-year-old, and also faced competition from Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma.

Ultimately, however, the former German youth international joined Sampdoria on a permanent deal after an initial loan from Ascoli.

It is understood that no further talks have taken place.

West Brom eye free agents

West Brom will re-enter the market to try and find a free agent striker once Tom Rogic has been confirmed a Baggies player, according to the Express & Star.

Albion are closing in on a deal for the ex-Celtic midfielder as they look to bolster their options in the centre of the park.

But Steve Bruce could also bring in an unattached centre-forward too as he continues to deal with the absence of Daryl Dike due to a torn thigh muscle.

At this stage, there have been no specifics on who the Baggies could look to sign.