Bristol City may find it difficult to strike Burnley transfer agreement this summer: View | OneFootball

Scott Twine looked like a man who had rediscovered his confidence in the second half of the season, with the Bristol City loanee back playing football with a smile on his face.

After starting the season on loan at Hull City from Premier League side Burnley, the midfielder made the move south to join Liam Manning at Ashton Gate at the start of the year, and seemed to effortlessly fit into the Robins’ system.

Two goals in ten league games helped steer the West Country side into the top half of the table by the end of the campaign, and leave Manning wanting to keep the playmaker past the end of his temporary spell at the club.

That may prove easier said than done though, with his parent club unlikely to be bartering for any deals for the former MK Dons man anytime soon.

Scott Twine shines for Bristol City after Burnley injury nightmare

Anyone who has had even half an eye on EFL matters over the past four years will have seen the spectacular moments Twine can produce on the pitch, especially from dead-ball scenarios.

With a penchant for expertly taken free-kicks, as well as the odd long-ranger in his locker, the 24-year-old has quickly risen through the divisions to become one of the standout midfielders in the Football League.

From Swindon Town to Newport County, MK Dons to Burnley; Twine’s career was on an incredible upwards trajectory, before an early injury after his reported £4 million move to Turf Moor saw him miss out on the majority of Clarets’ promotion campaign.

With Vincent Kompany’s side adding plenty of personnel ahead of their top flight campaign, Twine found himself on the fringes of the squad, with a move to Hull pleasing all parties as he looked to get regular football under his belt.

Although he was something of a regular for the Tigers’ star-studded EFL side, he never seemed a good fit in Liam Rosenior’s lineup, so another move to Bristol made sense when the opportunity arose in January.

The midfielder hasn’t looked back since his move to Ashton Gate, with a headed goal on debut against Watford setting the standards for his spell in the south west, before waving goodbye to the club with a trademark free kick in his last home match against Rotherham United.

Liam Manning expresses Bristol City, Scott Twine transfer desire

With his influence on the attacking output for the Robins plain to see, it is no surprise to see that Manning is desperate to keep hold of Twine on a more permanent basis over the summer, with the former Oxford United boss admitting as much after the Rotherham victory.

He said: “I’d love to work with him. I think he fits the club and profile of player we’ve got but there are so many challenges that go into it.

“For me, he’s been great; I think he’s got another level he can go to, I think he’s starting to show that and he fits what we’re trying to do.

“He’s just a different profile to what we’ve got. He knits it together really well. It doesn’t surprise me a couple of chances Syksey’s [Mark Sykes] had recently, it’s off the back of Twiney sliding it through.

“It’s one of those where the discussions have to happen for me to see what it looks like, whether it’s possible. Burnley might not want to do it, there are so many permutations to it that, at the minute, I have no idea.”

Twine’s future will become all the clearer in the next few weeks, with Burnley’s relegation from the Premier League meaning they face an immediate return to the second tier after blitzing the Championship last season.

With a flurry of transfer activity after their promotion to the top flight, Kompany will have plenty to sort out in terms of squad numbers in preparation for a Football League campaign, with a number of players likely to move on from the Lancashire side.

That could pave the way for a return to the fold for Twine, although it remains to be seen who he will be contending with for a permanent place in the starting lineup at Turf Moor next season.

If Burnley were to let him go, another stumbling block could be the fee demanded for his services, with the club forking out a reported £4 million to sign him from MK Dons two summer ago.

The Robins could potentially still have some cash still floating around from the sale of Alex Scott to AFC Bournemouth last summer though, with the teenager departing the club for a fee said to be over £20 million.

The move south would make sense for City and Twine, but with that knowledge, Burnley will be waiting it out to make sure they are reimbursed for their initial outlay.

The difference he could bring over the course of a full campaign and a pre-season under his belt with his new teammates could be well worth that investment though, and the Robins will be hoping the Clarets are in a selling mood this summer.