CITY FACING BIG BATTLE TO KEEP ELIASSON
BRISTOL City are losing the battle to convince Niclas Eliasson to sign a new contract.
The Swedish winger has just 18 months left on his deal, which means if the Robins do not win promotion, they will be faced with the prospect of either selling Eliason in the summer to make money on him, or risk losing him for a free in 2021.
There were a trio of clubs keeping tabs on Eliasson in January, with Burnley, Celtic and Lazio all linked.
Celtic have scouted Eliasson and were keen to add a winger to their squad in January - but the Robins put a not-for-sale-sign on their key man.
So could the Hoops return for the 24-year-old in the summer?
It remains to be seen whether they will retain an interest in Eliasson, but the Hoops are also looking at other wingers at the moment, with the Scottish Sun reporting that they are plotting a summer move for Cardiff City star Josh Murphy.
After being knocked back for Eliasson in January, Celtic launched an £11 million bid for the Cardiff winger on transfer deadline day but failed to land him.
Instead, the Hoops have placed the 24-year-old on their shortlist for the summer.
It could well be the case Celtic are looking for more than one winger in the summer, meaning both Eliasson and Murphy are targets for them.
However, it could also be a boost to Bristol City, with a suggestion that Celtic may have moved on to other targets ahead of the summer.
While there are other clubs interested in Eliasson, no doubt the chance to play for the Scottish giants may have proven a big draw, with his agent having previously spoken about a move to Scotland.
However, it could well just hand a boost to the likes of Burnley, who will face less competition for the winger should they still fancy a move for him in the summer.
It is the second consecutive year the Robins have faced question marks over an in-form winger’s future, with Calum O’Dowda attracting interest last season when his contract was in a similar situation. With O’Dowda having stayed and penned a new deal at Ashton Gate, it will be interesting to see what happens with Eliasson.
» Sadio Mane has returned to training with Liverpool after overcoming a hamstring injury.
The Senegal forward has missed the leaders’ last two Premier League games since being forced off in the first half of the victory at Wolves on January 23.
Liverpool posted pictures of the 27-year-old training with the squad along with another recent injury victim, James Milner, yesterday.