Exclusive: Celtic, Rangers and Wolves on red alert as Bristol City prepare for Tommy Conway sale

Tommy Conway may have played his last game for Bristol City as the club are open to listen to offers for the striker, with their patience having been worn thin over his unwillingness to sign a new contract.

Bristol Live understands that while Conway is not on the transfer list as such, the reality within Ashton Gate now is that the 21-year-old will have to be sold in this window, otherwise he’ll run the remaining 12 months of his contract down and leave on a free next summer.

That would net the Robins a reasonable compensation payment, likely to approach seven figures, but it would pale in comparison to any fee they receive this summer, plus is only on the proviso he remains in England.

With interest in Scotland from Celtic and Rangers, the risk of him leaving for Celtic Park or Ibrox next year would only net the club the mandatory £300,000 compensation. As was the case for Charlton Athletic when Joe Aribo signed for Rangers in 2019 despite being wanted by clubs in the EFL.

Interest has been building in Conway over the season, partly driven by his contract and his status as a value signing, with Wolves and Leicester City among the Premier League clubs who have kept a constant check on his development.

Those suitors could, of course, increase in number over the coming weeks as Conway prepares to participate in Euro 2024 as arguably Scotland’s most exciting attacking talent and a strong run of performances in Germany, should he get on the field, will significantly boost his reputation and value.

Bristol Live has learned that this decision has been driven to some extent by owner Steve Lansdown who, while not as hands-on with the general day-to-day running of the club as before, is keen for a resolution rather than letting the situation drag on through the summer.

With Joe Williams having signed his new three-year contract last month, Conway’s position is the only true uncertainty for City leading into a summer in which the desire is to reinforce their 11th-placed squad, with Liam Manning’s wish for a No10, winger and another forward to complement the Taunton-born frontman and Nahki Wells.

City do have Seb Palmer-Houlden returning from a promising loan at Newport County, while Josh Stokes is another forward option for 2024/25, but should a successful sale of Conway be negotiated, then that may cause the club to look for another striker in the market.

There is also the possibility that the money earned from his potential departure could be reinvested to aid pursuits for Scott Twine and one of the three No9s, in England and overseas, who are currently being assessed.

Conway is thought to be fully aware of the situation having held meetings with Manning towards the end of last term, and their relationship remains positive, as does it for all members of the club, but quite simply his ambitions appear to be beyond BS3.

Now part of the Scotland team and with a second successive season of double figures goals, with former flatmate Alex Scott having departed for Premier League Bournemouth a year ago, Conway has designs on becoming a top-flight player as quickly as possible.

Conversations, both formal and informal, around his future date back well into last year, before Manning took charge, with his predecessor Nigel Pearson also aware of the potential for this moment to come.

Irrespective of the size of the offer on the table, it seems that Conway’s mind has been made up for some time, and for the benefit of all parties, City now need to secure the best possible deal for the future of the club, both in the short and long term.

The timing is not ideal, with Euro 2024 kicking off on Friday and Conway potentially involved for Scotland in their tournament curtain-raiser against Germany, but this matter has been coming to a head and the fact the transfer window opens on the same day is of significance.

As to what City will be expecting for the 21-year-old is unclear, especially given the uniqueness of his position in these circumstances. It’s rare for a talent of his age and experience to become available on the market, and depending on the number of parties who end up bidding for Conway it could reach anything in the £5m-£8m range.

Then again, if interest doesn’t manifest into actual formal approaches, or from suitably well-resourced clubs - as a number of play-off-chasing Championship sides are also keen - City may be forced to accept less for the striker, or consider keeping him for the next season and take the financial hit in 2025.

Although, given the expected sentiment within the fanbase, and the uncomfortable environment that could cause, that eventuality seems increasingly unlikely.

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