Gers eye Semenyo

SCOTTISH giants Rangers are reportedly exploring a January transfer swoop for Bristol City striker Antoine Semenyo.

The website Football Insider claims the forward, 22, is high on the Ibrox club’s list of targets despite being without a manager.

Rangers sacked Giovanni van Bronckhorst this week and look set to replace him with Queens Park Rangers’ Michael Beale.

Bristol Live, the sister website of the Daily Press, understands City have had no contact from Rangers over a potential offer for Semenyo, who on Thursday made his World Cup debut as a substitute in Ghana’s 3-2 defeat to Portugal.

A fee of £5 million has been talked about, but it is unlikely City would entertain that, especially as their own previous valuations have been more like £20m.

Semenyo’s contract expires in the summer, but the club have the option of extending that until the summer of 2024.

BRISTOL City’s players will return to the High Performance Centre next week to begin a mini preseason ahead of their return to action, writes Richard Forrester.

The Robins will also face an as yet unnamed Premier League side in a friendly, which is set to be behind closed doors, likely to be on the weekend of December 3. City head to Rotherham seven days later as their Championship campaign gets back underway.

The first-team players have been off this week, spending time out of the country or with their families. Andi Weimann, who gave City an injury scare while on international duty with Austria, has eased concerns by heading to the Maldives with his family.

City players have been away with their heart-rate belts to keep on top of their fitness during the break to ensure they hit the ground running when they reunite next week. The break has also given Kal Naismith and Tomas Kalas time to recover from their injuries.

Naismith has not featured since the 0-0 draw with Coventry on

October 4. An initial ten-day diagnosis with a calf injury saw the central defender struggling with his recovery with Nigel Pearson calling for patience.

Kalas is another player who is struggling with his calf following his return to the side from a longterm knee issue. He made two substitute appearances in October, after seven months out injured, before heading back to the treatment room.

Until the players return to training next week, it will be unclear whether they will be fit when they head to Rotherham, but Pearson revealed it was an opportunity to get some players back. He said before the break: “I’m just viewing it as it that it’s here and we will do our best to get as many people back as possible, It’s an opportunity, but I don’t welcome it.

“They’ll have some time off, a programme to do and a mini preseason. It’s important to get that break and something that we will have one or two players back from injury then it’s a 25-game season.”

Pearson has also been using the break to work on his potential January transfer shortlist with the intention of moving swiftly if deals can be done. The City boss is targeting a new defender, but can only do a deal if they raise funds through player sales.

He added: “It’s an important time for us to prepare for the next window.”