Bristol City could land six-figure transfer fund boost as £9m ex-star eyes deadline day Premier League exit

After a hectic month of wheeling and dealing, the January transfer window will finally be 'slamming shut' at 11pm this evening.

It's set to be an underwhelming day for Bristol City, with no new players arriving at Ashton Gate despite links with the likes of Wolverhampton Wanderers' Liam Cundle and Swansea City defender Harry Darling. Meanwhile, the club rebuffed an attempt from Stoke City to sign midfielder Mark Sykes, with the Republic of Ireland international opting to extend his stay until 2026 instead.

The club revealed on Sunday evening that they intend on doing no further business before the window closes. In a statement that has been praised by many Robins fans for its transparency, the club insisted that the transfer window was used as an opportunity to balance the books following a busy summer of new arrivals, including the likes of Scott Twine and Luke McNally.

A number of players have left the club on loan this month, and the club justified this decision with a reminder that those sent out had only made five starts in the Championship between them in the 2024/25 campaign.

It was also revealed that the club will soon be making Yu Hirakawa's loan spell permanent, with the Japanese star impressing during his time at Ashton Gate so far this season.

What's happening elsewhere in the EFL?

One story that will be of interest to Bristol City is the potential exit of former player Josh Brownhill, who could secure a Deadline Day move away from Burnley.

The 29-year-old midfielder made the move to Turf Moor back in 2020, with the Clarets paying a fee in the region of £9m to seal the deal. Since then, Brownhill has made 194 appearances in all competitions for the club, including 111 games in the Premier League.

However, the former Manchester United youth star's contract is set to expire in the summer, and TalkSport correspondent Alex Crook has now suggested that Brownhill could seal a move to Brentford, Everton or Wolves.

This news could be of interest to Bristol City, with previous reports suggesting the club included an estimated 15% sell-on clause when they sold the player to Burnley. Given that Brownhill's contract has just six months left to run, he could be let go for just £2 million. This could, theoretically, see the Robins pocket a tidy sum of £300,000.

It is worth noting that there is also interest from abroad, specifically from Italy, France and Turkey. If Brownhill were to leave for a club in Europe, he would be able to sign a pre-contract now, before leaving in the summer on a free transfer. In these circumstance, City would make no money from any existing sell-on clause.

What next for Bristol City?

Liam Manning's side fought hard to 1-1 draw at Oxford United on Saturday afternoon. An entertaining clash at Kassam Stadium saw Robins man Joe Williams controversially sent off on the half-hour mark, and the hosts opened the scoring midway through the second half via Greg Leigh's deflected striker from a tight angle.

Despite being a man down, Manning's side hit back just five minutes later, with Sykes rocketing an effort into the top corner after a set-piece was executed to perfection. The Robins then had to weather somewhat of a storm, but a spirited defensive effort saw them hold out for a point, despite being reduced to nine men after Ross McCrorie was given his marching orders in the 86th minutes.

The result sees City still well within a shot of making the play-offs this season, with just two points currently separating them from a top-seven finish.

However, the table is so tightly packed that 13th placed Millwall are only a couple of points behind them, meaning that maintaining a strong run of form will be vital if the Robins are to make the play-offs for the first time since the 2007/08 season.