Bristol City & Coventry in transfer battle for £2m-rated midfielder | OneFootball

Bristol City and Coventry are interested in Barnsley’s Callum Styles, with the League One side holding out for £2m for the player.

Who is Callum Styles?

The 23-year-old joined the Tykes from Bury and he quickly became an important player at Oakwell, impressing whether he played in central midfield or left wing-back, which highlights his versatility.

With the side relegated to the third tier in 2022, Styles secured a temporary return to the Championship last season, spending the campaign on loan at Millwall.

However, he failed to establish himself as a key figure under Gary Rowett, so the move wasn’t made permanent, with Styles now back in Yorkshire.

Despite playing both league games under Neil Collins so far, helping the team to four points, there are doubts about the future of Styles, who has two years left on his contract with Barnsley.

Bristol City & Coventry interested in Callum Styles

That’s after The Sun reporter Alan Nixon revealed that Championship duo Coventry and Bristol City are both in the market for the player.

The Robins recently sold Alex Scott to Bournemouth in a deal that could be worth up to £25m, and whilst Styles is a different type of player, he would offer another option in the middle of the park as they look to strengthen following the departure of the England youth international.

Meanwhile, it’s a similar story for the Sky Blues. With Gustavo Hamer having joined Sheffield United for around £15m, they will be seeking to add depth and quality in the middle of the park, and Styles will also provide cover at wing-back.

How much will Callum Styles cost?

Barnsley obviously know that those two clubs have cash right now after their big sales, and that’s certainly going to help them when it comes to negotiations, as they look to sell Styles for the highest price possible.

The update indicates that a fee of around £2m would be required to sign Styles, and that does seem a fair price.

His stock has dropped slightly after his spell at The Den, but prior to that the Hungarian international was viewed as one of the top talents in the Football League, as he had played very well for Barnsley, including when they reached the play-offs under Valerien Ismael.

At 23, he is someone who has his best years in front of him, so the rumoured £2m seems like a very fair price. From Barnsley’s perspective, it would be a blow to lose someone who would be an important figure under Collins, but we know how they operate, and that money brought in could be used to strengthen other areas of the team that need addressing.

Where will Callum Styles end up?

Ultimately, this is going to come down to finances, and it will be interesting to see if either club does make an offer that Barnsley find suitable.

For Styles, the chance to return to the Championship is obviously going to appeal, so an interesting few weeks lie ahead as we await further developments and to see if a move does actually happen.