Bid rejected - Bristol City knock back transfer offer as Liam Manning ponders contract dilemma

Bristol City rejected a bid from Stoke City for winger and utility player Mark Sykes on Tuesday, according to Sky Sports.

The size of the Potters’ offer has not been disclosed but “did not meet [Bristol City’s] valuation of the player”, according to reporter Anthony Joseph. It is not yet clear whether Stoke will return to the table with a second bid for the 27-year-old.

The Republic of Ireland international has been a regular starter for Robins manager Liam Manning this season when fit, but his current contract at Ashton Gate only has six months left to run, although the club do have an option to extend it by an additional year, meaning that Sykes is still effectively tied down for another 17 months. The club will have to decide whether to exercise their option by the end of June.

Sykes recently returned to first-team action after missing 12 league matches due to a serious hamstring injury and came on as a second-half substitute during Saturday’s game against Blackburn Rovers. He has two assists in 16 matches so far this season.

City keen to keep ‘excellent’ Sykes

Prior to the 2-1 win over potential play-off rivals Blackburn, Manning claimed to have been unaware of any interest in Sykes, and although a formal offer arrived just three days later it appears that the manager is keen to keep Sykes around if possible.

The Irishman, who primarily plays as a right winger but has also played in defence and on the left flank, drew praise from Manning when he was asked about the transfer situation.

“He's done well. For me, he's done exactly what he's needed to do recently,” Manning said following the Blackburn match. “I thought he was excellent.”

Should Sykes remain with the squad this weekend then he is likely to play his 100th match for Bristol City against his former club Oxford United, who he left in order to join the Robins ahead of the 2023/23 season.

Stoke looking to strengthen ahead of relegation scrap

Stoke, meanwhile, are looking for reinforcements as new manager Mark Robins plots a course away from a relegation battle. The Potters are presently 20th in the Championship table and hovering precariously over the relegation zone after a poor run of form under previous manager Narcis Pelach.

Should Stoke sign Sykes, he could become their third signing of the January transfer window after they completed loan deals for Manchester City’s John Wilson-Esbrand and Ipswich Town’s Ali Al-Hamadi. It is likely that Sykes would be signed to play as a right wing-back in Robins’ preferred 3-4-3 system, although his versatility is likely to part of his appeal. It remains unclear what Bristol City’s valuation of the player is or how close Stoke were to meeting it, with details of initial negotiations firmly under wraps.

In other news, the Robins are set for imminent talks over a new contract for star striker Nakhi Wells, who scored the winner against Blackburn this weekend. Reported interest in £2m-rated Wolves midfielder Liam Cundle, however, has yet to bear fruit with one of Bristol City’s Championship rivals having a bid rejected.