Bristol City join transfer race for £2m-rated midfielder as Stoke chase Rangers star

Bristol City will look to bounce back from their FA Cup third round exit when they make the trip to the West Midlands to take on 16th place Coventry City.

The Robins were beaten 2-1 at home to top-flight strugglers Wolves and were accused by manager Liam Manning of showing the Premier League side too much respect in the first half as they found themselves two goals down in the opening 25 minutes. Bristol City showed improved character in the second half to make a meal of the contest after Scott Twine’s excellent free-kick and will look to build on that improvement at the Coventry Building Society Arena this weekend.

The trip to Coventry is the first in an eventful end to January which also sees Manning’s men go head to head with Sheffield Wednesday in Shea Charles potential last match for the Owls, and high-flying Blackburn Rovers.

Bristol City will hope to welcome in some new players in the weeks to come to boost their promotion bid. With that in mind, we take a look at the £2m rated midfielder the Robins are keeping an eye on, along with all the latest talking points from around the division.

Bristol City join Swansea in battle for £2m rated star

Bristol City have set their sights on out-of-favour Wolves midfielder Luke Cundle this January. The Express & Star understands the Robins along with Stoke City, Millwall and Swansea City are all plotting a move for the 22-year-old Wolves academy graduate who is likely to be made available this month.

Cundle, who played 16-times whilst on loan at Stoke last season, was the subject of a failed bid from the Potters over the summer, with Wolves eventually deciding to keep the midfielder at Molineux. However, under both Gary O’Neil and new boss Vitor Pereira, Cundle has failed to make an impression in training and has been limited to simply playing reserve team football.

The Warrington-born midfielder has played a total of 72 matches at Championship level during loan spells at Plymouth, Swansea and Stoke, and in that time has scored eight and provided 11 assists. He is now thought to be seeking a permanent home after a frustrating six month return to the West Midlands and is reportedly valued at around £2m.

Stoke City set their sights on former Norwich City man

Stoke City are desperate to avoid relegation to the third-tier of English football and are actively seeking reinforcements in the midfield position.

BBC Scotland’s Fraser Fletcher understands that the Potters are keen to make a move for former Stoke City and Everton midfielder Kieran Dowell in January.

The 17-time England Under-21 international is currently playing for Scottish giants Rangers but has struggled to break into the starting line-up.

His first season was marred by constant injury problems which reduced him to 12 league appearances, but despite being fully fit for most of this season, his 12 league appearances this term have almost all come from the subs bench.

Dowell was left out of the squad during the 3-0 victory over Aberdeen in midweek, in a move which only fuels further speculation around his long-term future in Glasgow.