Bristol City are understood to have lodged a bid for Colchester United winger Mark Yeates.
Race on for Colchester winger
Bristol City are understood to have lodged a bid for Colchester United winger Mark Yeates.
The 24-year-old Irish 'B' international has just 12-months left on his current deal with Colchester.
The former Spurs wide man is now attracting interest as Middlesbrough, Sheffield United and Crystal Palace are all said to be keen.
But it has been claimed that City have stepped in with a firm bid of around £300,000.
Robins boss Gary Johnson has confirmed he has lodged bids for some new faces, but refused to reveal whether Yeates was one of them.
"The bids are still out there," said Johnson.
"These things take time as there are a lot of representatives to talk to and people are keeping their options open.
"We are just waiting. You make the best offers you can and you wait to see if that club or that player will accept the terms.
"We are close to a couple and the other couple are biding their time."
New deals
Meanwhile, Johnson has confirmed that Marvin Elliott is close to signing a new contract with the club.
He also revealed that Cole Skuse and Ivan Sproule had put pen to paper, but Izzy Iriekpen had left the club.
"They have all been offered contracts," said Johnson.
"Marvin has verbally agreed a new contract and should sign it when he comes back from holiday next week.
"I am pleased with that because it would have been difficult to replace him. Cole Skuse and Ivan Sproule have re-signed already and those three have been a big part in what we have achieved here over the last three seasons so I am pleased they are still at the club.
"But we have decided that Izzy will not be signing for us.
"Everyone had a medical at the end of last season and we just felt that Izzy had not been fit for long enough to play the number of games needed for us to assess him properly.
"He needed a decision and we felt we have three or four central defenders and after a lot of thought we decided it best that he move on. Izzy was unlucky but unfortunately we had no guarantees that he could play 40-odd games a year."
