Bristol City transfer target Jason Knight is yet to decide if his future lies away from Derby County and will take some time out after starring for the Republic of Ireland to assess his options as the Robins plot their next move.
As first reported by the Telegraph, City have had two bids turned down for the midfielder by the Rams, the second one around £1.5million, with the League One club wanting a figure closer to £2m.
Reports overnight have since brought Stoke City and Ipswich Town into the equation although neither club is understood to have got as far as making a offer and the publication of extra suitors for Knight could be viewed as an attempt to try and drive his price up and/or pressure City into making a third approach.
City are weighing up their own options, and would ideally not enter a bidding war where they could over-pay for a player who, while exceptionally talented, could then impact the proportion of transfer budget available for other targets.
Sources have indicated that the Robins remain front-runners, if a compromise can be reached, as Knight is a definite target whereas Ipswich and Stoke, at this stage, are considering him as alternatives to other players.
Speaking after Ireland’s 3-0 win over Gibraltar in Euro 2024 qualifying, in which he was named man of the match having played as a right wing-back, Knight’s path doesn’t appear immediately clear and the indication is that this process could extend far into the summer.
“Yeah, I heard those comments (Ireland manager Stephen Kenny admitted he should be playing at a higher level), but I have a year left on my contract,” Knight told the Irish Independent.
“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.”
Derby brought Knight to England from Cabinteely when he was 16 and the 22-year-old has gone to make 166 appearances and earned 20 caps since his debut in 2020, but increasingly looks set for a move up the pyramid, whether that be to City or another Championship club.
“No, we haven’t,” he added, when asked if he’d spoken to Kenny about his situation based on the reasoning that he may need to be playing in the Championship to keep his place at international level. “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.”
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