Bristol City transfer stance emerges as Stoke City target move for Daniel Bentley | OneFootball

Bristol City are ready to sanction a January sale for shot-stopper and captain Daniel Bentley, according to a report from Stoke-on-Trent Live.

Championship side Stoke City are thought to be interested in pursuing a move for the experienced goalkeeper despite the fact he’s only played a limited role for the Robins so far this season, being stuck behind Max O’Leary in the pecking order for a decent chunk of the season.

Making 13 league appearances for Nigel Pearson’s side, all of these displays came during the early stages of the campaign with the keeper not featuring in the second tier since the early stages of October.

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And he was even left on the bench against Swansea City in the FA Cup last weekend, with the 29-year-old not having the opportunity to put himself in the shop window ahead of the summer.

That’s when his contract ends and as things stand, it doesn’t look as though Pearson’s side will stand in the way of his potential departure with the club possibly hoping to lower their wage bill in the summer as they look to comply with the EFL’s financial rules.

A loan move from the Potters is more likely at this stage according to Stoke-on-Trent Live – but the Potters already have six temporary players on their books.

The Verdict:

The Potters do need to have a solid number one that they can depend on and although rotating goalkeepers could give multiple shot-stoppers opportunities, that isn’t ideal for the backline.

Their defenders need to have a consistent voice in the backline and Bentley could be that man, with the 29-year-old having a decent amount of second-tier experience under his belt that he could use at the bet365 Stadium.

He wouldn’t cost too much either, so it wouldn’t be a massive surprise if they ended up pursuing a permanent deal for him, with the Staffordshire outfit still having a sizeable number of loanees on their books.

From the player’s point of view, this would probably be a better move than the one he could have made to AFC Bournemouth in the summer, even with Premier League football on offer.

At the time he was linked with a move to the Cherries, he looked set to be a backup option to Mark Travers but considering he’s only 29 at this point, he should be looking to start every week.