Bristol City transfer target breaks silence as Ipswich & Stoke join race

Bristol City transfer target Jason Knight admits he will take a break before deciding whether to leave Derby County or not this summer amid ongoing transfer interest.

The 22-year-old is wanted by the Robins, and are said to have made two offers to the Rams, with the latest bid being £1.5m for the 22-year-old, and Telegraph journalist John Percy claimed they were 'getting closer' on Tuesday afternoon. Knight is someone that would be high on the transfer shortlist, given his vast Championship experience at such a young age, and would for sure add to City's young and talented squad.

Knight's international boss Stephen Kenny, admitted before the latest international period, that he was on the 'verge' of a transfer, and that he needed to play at a higher level. Derby were said to be surprised by Kenny's comments, and were so unhappy that they described his comments as 'inaccurate' through BBC Radio Derby.

The player himself was aware of the comments from his national team manager, but kept his head down, and played in Ireland's double-header, which was a 2-1 defeat to Greece in EURO 2024 qualifying, before a convincing win over Gibraltar.

“Yeah, I heard those comments (by Kenny), but I have a year left on my contract,” said Knight to the Independent.ie following a man-of-the-match display against Gibraltar for Ireland on Monday night.

“I'm an ambitious person, and I want to play at the highest level I can at club and international level. But Derby is a great club and there are a lot of great people at the club. I think there are foundations being built again to make it go up the levels. There are good times ahead at Derby, the club is in a good place now.

“It’s a fine line and I will have to assess everything in the summer. I will get away for a couple of weeks and shut my mind off and make the decision in the pre-season.”

As Knight takes a break from football, following an extended campaign, he could have several transfer options to choose from. Bristol City are said to be rivalled by two Championship rivals in the race to sign Derby County midfielder Jason Knight.

The Robins have been busy in the transfer market, recruiting three new players; Rob Dickie, Ross McCrorie, and Haydon Roberts this summer, and show no signs of stopping just yet. Nigel Pearson has money to spend from the sale of Antoine Semenyo in January, and is looking to reinvest it in the playing squad, as he looks to mount a play-off push this season.

City however are now set to face face competition from their league rivals for their next transfer target, with the Daily Mail reporting that Ipswich Town are 'pondering' making a move of their own. The Mail's report said City are now considering an improved approach, whilst Stoke City are also looking at Knight.

Knight has already had a taste of Bristol, having trained at the High Performance Centre last month, in the build-up to Ireland's matches. He will have been in the company of Mark Sykes, who's had a successful first year at Ashton Gate.

“No, we haven’t,” responded Knight when asked if he had held discussions with Stephen Kenny, regarding his next transfer, as competition heats up for a place in his side, and playing at a higher level would go a way towards cementing his spot.

“We have just been focusing on the (Ireland) games. I might speak to him in the off-season and see what he says, but we haven’t really talked that much about it.

“I will take the manager’s advice, but I’m my own man as well. I need to make my own decision and I will live and die by them. We will see what happens.”