Bristol City owner Steve Lansdown admitted the club don't need to sell star players Antoine Semenyo or Alex Scott this summer but conceded he wouldn't stand in their way if Premier League clubs came calling.
Both players have been subject to speculation with moves to the top flight over the previous two transfer windows. Manchester United were the latest club to be tentatively linked with Scott while Tottenham, Leicester, Everton and Leeds have also reportedly shown an interest although there are more than likely to be a raft of top-flight clubs keeping an eye on his situation.
As with Semenyo, West Ham, Brighton, Crystal Palace and Bournemouth have either scouted or declared an interest in the striker while City rejected a January offer from Nottingham Forest for his signature.
Manager Nigel Pearson said last Thursday how the club have received enquiries for players they would like to keep, although they have yet to receive any offers. He also admitted the club may have to trade in the market if he wants to bolster his thin squad before the window closes at the beginning of September.
With no offers on the table for Han-Noah Massengo, Scott and Semenyo are the club's only prized assets while Dan Bentley, Tomas Kalas and Jay Dasilva's contracts all expire next summer meaning they could leave for nothing at the end of the season.
Pearson admitted the size of his squad remains a concern but with a limited transfer budget available, he has his hands tied when it comes to recruitment while Lansdown highlighted the similarities of Adam Webster's £20million deal to Brighton in 2019 - the last time the club received a significant transfer fee for a player.
Speaking to BBC Radio Bristol, Lansdown said of Scott and Semenyo's futures: "The first thing you have to have is an offer for them which we haven't got. How do we retain them?
"They're under contract. Antoine's got two years, Alex has got three and we don't need to sell them and we don't want to sell them. So like all these things you have to make offers to make you change your mind because that money can be reinvested to bolster the rest of the squad.
"We did it with Adam Webster, we didn't want him to go but he was adamant he wanted to so we put a price-tag on him that gave us a good return on him. That's business.
"I think the transfer market is only with the Premier League sides. They have the capital to do it and the owners who can put the money in to do something but strictly speaking, I don't think that's there anymore.
"Why would Alex or Antoine want to go to someone else in the Championship? They have fantastic facilities here, it's a great club to be a part of, great team-mates and a progression that they can see in their own careers but when a Premier League club comes in for them that's when it's difficult to turn down and I wouldn't stand in their way."
Lansdown also touched upon Massengo's contract situation with the Frenchman's short-term future still up in the air. The club have yet to receive an offer for the midfielder while there is no evidence the 20-year-old will sign a contract that has been on the table for around a year.
It means City face the increasing possibility of losing him for nothing next summer or will be forced to accept a take-it-or-leave-it bid towards the end of the transfer window.
He added: "I don't like it because I think people should be honest with us. I don't want to say disloyal because that's the wrong word but I had it with Joe Bryan in the past.
"I try to convince players if they are good enough people will come in and make offers for them. If they're not going to sign then we have to look for ways to capitalise on them which means we'll have to move him on at some point."
When asked if they had received any bids, Lansdown responded: "Not that I'm aware of."
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