Bristol City target to ‘have medical’ ahead of £2m transfer from Derby

Bristol City are closing in on the signing of Derby County midfielder Jason Knight, with a medical planned according to reports.

The Telegraph’s John Percy report that the Robins are ‘close to signing’ Jason Knight for a fee of £2m. He adds that Knight hasn’t travelled to Spain for Derby’s training camp, and that he will have a medical in the next few days.

Two bids of up to £1.5m had been rejected by the Rams earlier in the window, and there was said to be interest from Ipswich Town and Stoke City. Earlier this week, Paul Warne admitted he expected Knight to leave the Midlands club, and that Bristol City weren’t too far off in their valuation.

In a tweet, Percy said: #BristolCity are close to signing #dcfc midfielder Jason Knight for a fee of around £2m. Republic of Ireland international has not travelled to Spain for Derby’s training camp and will have a medical in the next few days. Kane Wilson move to Derby has been discussed in talks.”

Ipswich’s signing of Jack Taylor from Peterborough United made a move for Knight unlikely, whilst Stoke have looked at other targets. Nigel Pearson added that Bristol City’s next transfer priority was to sign a midfielder, and now it looks like they’ll soon be celebrating their fourth signing of the summer.

The 59-year-old had been keen to add a midfielder to his squad, given how the current players are aging, with Matty James, Andy King and Kal Naismith all in their 30s. Joe Williams has also suffered with hamstring injury problems over the years and Knight would represent a sound option.

Knight is only 22-years-old but already has 20-caps to his name, meanwhile he’s played 112 times in the Championship, getting 10 goals and four assists. His imminent arrival is meant to complement City’s midfield options, rather than be seen as a replacement for Alex Scott, who is looking even likelier to replace at Ashton Gate, as Premier League clubs withdraw from the race because of the asking price.

In the report from the Telegraph, Percy also added that Kane Wilson could move to Pride Park as part of the deal. Wilson was subject of a move to Bolton Wanderers last month, but the two clubs were apart in their valuations. Championship rivals Birmingham City were said to be interested and that it would cost £250k to sign him.