Stoke City and Bristol City leading race for Brighton and Hove Albion transfer | OneFootball

The winger looks as though he could be set for another return to the Championship

Stoke and Bristol City are leading the race to sign winger Andrew Moran from Brighton this summer.

That's according to a report from The Athletic, who say that a number of Championship clubs are keen to sign the 20-year-old on loan.

Moran is of course no stranger to the second-tier of English football, having spent last season on loan at Blackburn Rovers.

During his time at Ewood Park, the Republic of Ireland international scored four goals and provided nine assists in 41 appearances in all competitions.

Now it seems as though he could be set for a return to that level for the coming campaign, as more Championship interest emerges in his services.

Championship clubs racing to sign Andrew Moran

As per this latest update, there are a number of clubs keen to take Moran on loan to the Championship for the coming campaign.

It is however, thought that Stoke and Bristol City are the ones currently at the front of the queue to secure his services.

The Potters already have two players in their squad who played alongside Moran at Blackburn last season.

Niall Ennis joined from the Ewood Park club in January, while fellow centre-forward Sam Gallagher is one of six senior signings made by the club this summer.

Eric Bocat, Viktor Johansson, Ben Gibson, Bosun Lawal and Liverpool loanee Lewis Koumas have all also linked up with Steven Schumacher's side in the current transfer window.

Bristol City meanwhile, have made three first-team signings this summer, with Sinclair Armstrong, Fally Mayulu and Yu Hirakawa all bolstering their attacking options.

Stoke began their campaign at the weekend with a 1-0 win at home to Coventry, while the Robins were held to a 1-1 draw by Hull after a late Oscar Estupinan penalty.

Prior to his loan move to Blackburn last season, Moran had made three competitive first-team appearances for Brighton.

The winger still has three years remaining on his contract with the Seagulls, securing his future at The AMEX Stadium until the end of the 2026/27 season.

Andrew Moran could be a good signing for Stoke or Bristol City

The addition of Moran has the potential to be a good one for a Championship club to make this summer.

Obviously, the Brighton man already has experience of this level from his time with Blackburn last season, so he will be well-prepared for another spell in the second-tier.

Indeed, at the start of last season, Moran was one of Rovers' standout performers, and showed he has the potential to make a big impression at this level.

Admittedly, his form did dip somewhat later in the campaign. That may be down to the level of demands put on him at Ewood Park.

A lack of depth, meaning there was less scope to rotate the side, giving him less chance for a break, and the pressure of a relegation battle may have also weighed heavy given his lack of experience.

He should be better equipped to deal with that now, and there also ought to be greater depth in the squads at Stoke and Bristol City that should help him to settle in one of those sides.

As a result, another temporary move to the Championship that gives a promising player such as Moran another chance to show what he can do at this level, could be best for all involved.