Bristol City in talks to sign midfielder amid Man City and Crystal Palace interest | OneFootball

Liam Manning has taken a short time to settle in as Bristol City head coach, but the Robins are now flying under their new boss.

City opened the month of December with three matches without a Championship win, but things can change very quickly in the second tier of English football.

Manning got a first win of the month against Sunderland over a week ago, and after seeing his side come from behind to defeat Hull City 3-2 at Ashton Gate on Friday night, Bristol City recorded a resounding success on the road on Boxing Day against Watford.

They put four goals past the Hornets at Vicarage Road in a result which pushed them up in the table to eighth position, and they are now just one point off the play-off positions.

After the club brought in a huge fee for teenage sensation Alex Scott in the summer transfer window, City are expected to let Manning to strengthen his squad in certain positions, and one player who could be arriving in the red half of Bristol next month is Adam Murphy.

Bristol City's Murphy deal back on

City were very keen to sign Irish midfielder Adam Murphy in the summer after his emergence into the first-team across the Irish Sea at St. Patrick's Athletic.

Murphy made a handful of appearances in the 2022 League of Ireland season but from early on in the 2023 campaign, the 18-year-old has been starting regularly for St. Pat's and has been attracting interest from elsewhere.

Despite a deal being negotiated with Bristol City over the summer though and an agreement seemingly in place, Murphy's transfer to Ashton Gate fell through with little explanation from then-manager Nigel Pearson.

However, after completing his season over in Ireland, Murphy is now back on the transfer radar of Bristol City, according to a report from the Bristol Post.

Murphy is out of contract with his current club, but that does not mean that Bristol City would sign him for absolutely nothing if they landed him as they would still have to pay compensation to St. Pat's for his services.

The teenager played 29 times in the 2023 League of Ireland season for St. Pat's, scoring once and assisting a further three times in what looks to be his only full year at the club he joined in 2020 from Belvedere.

Man City and Crystal Palace could be pipped to Murphy deal

In November, it was reported that a number of other clubs had been scouting Murphy ahead of potentially trying to strike a deal for the Irish youngster in January.

TEAMtalk claimed that Premier League champions Man City were one of the sides that had been scouting the midfielder, and so had the likes of Crystal Palace as well, who have a track record of bringing youngsters across the Irish Sea and into their under-21's.

Southampton and Derby County had also sent scouts to watch Murphy in action, but Bristol City will be hoping that their previous agreement which fell through will provide the catalyst for a fresh deal being done for the youngster, who is free to talk to any club he wishes over a deal.