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A potential windfall from the sale of Bournemouth's Lloyd Kelly is looking increasingly unlikely for his former club Bristol City.

The Cherries signed Kelly in the summer of 2019 from the Robins and the defender has since gone on to establish himself as a key part of the setup at the Vitality Stadium.

His status at the Premier League may have left the club expecting another substantial payout from the sale of the player, as City are reported to have a 20 percent sell-on clause inserted into the deal, but developments suggest that may not now transpire.

The 25-year-old was a product of City's academy, having been spotted aged 12 playing for local side Bristol Central.

He rose through the ranks at Ashton Gate and made his first team debut aged just 18, against Plymouth Argyle in the Carabao Cup, before going on to be named Young Player of the Season during that campaign.

In total, Kelly made 48 first team appearances for the Robins, before his performances caught the eye of Premier League onlookers.

The offer that came in was from Bournemouth in 2019, and it ended up being a deal worth around £13million to the Championship side, a substantial fee in the second tier.

However, the canny operators at Ashton Gate could see the potential in Kelly, who by this point had gained caps for England U21s, so they inserted the sell-on clause to ensure they were fully rewarded for their substantial role in developing the player.

Running his contract down spells bad news for City

When joining the Cherries in 2019, Kelly signed a five-year contract that is set to expire this coming summer, meaning that he is able to enter a pre-contract agreement with foreign clubs and will be allowed to leave Bournemouth for free at the end of this season.

Sources told Football Insider that Andoni Iraola's side 'would love' to keep hold of Kelly, and have made multiple contract offers to the former youth international, but he has rejected them in favour of taking his time to decide his future in the summer.

Should he opt against signing a new deal at the Vitality Stadium, and leaving for free this summer, it would mean the Robins are due nothing on their sell-on clause and would have to settle for what they received as part of the initial deal.

That may leave some at Ashton Gate, and potentially in Bournemouth's camp, regretful over the missed opportunity to sell the defender to Tottenham Hotspur last summer, with the North London club reportedly tabling an offer of around £20million.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but considering Kelly has spent much of this season out injured, and is set to leave on a free in a few months, that deal is looking more like a missed chance for Bournemouth and Bristol with each passing day.

The clubs interested means a new deal feels unlikely

Although it is not impossible that Kelly will sign a new deal with Bournemouth this summer, likely with a substantial uplift on his wages due to the strong negotiating position he has got himself into, the calibre of club linked with an interest in his services would seem to suggest a move away is most likely.

It has this month been reported that Newcastle United, Tottenham, West Ham United, Liverpool and Manchester United are all tracking the progress of the defender with a view to bringing him in.

Among those names are teams that will be competing in European competitions and fighting it out at the top of the Premier League; projects that are an elevation from Bournemouth's current aims and forecasts.

There have also been reports that any fresh deal at the Vitality Stadium would include a release clause, likely to be low enough so that is not prohibitive to potential suitors.

However, the attraction of one of the Premier League's big hitters is likely to be a key factor in Kelly's decision, and it would be a surprise to see him want to delay such a move beyond this summer.

There's still a chance that the Robins will finally make good on their sell-on clause, but it seems unlikely in the face of top tier interest and a strong negotiation position for the player.