Bristol City are desperate to tie down the ‘fantastic’ Tommy Conway with Scottish Premiership giants Rangers one of the clubs watching the striker as his Ashton Gate contract runs down.
In recent years, a Bristol City side renowned for their talent development have brought in fees in the eight-digit range for the likes of Antoine Semenyo, Adam Webster, Lloyd Kelly and Alex Scott, the highly-rated midfielder who joined AFC Bournemouth in a £25 million deal last summer.
Their hopes of commanding a similarly eye-watering fee for Tommy Conway, however, will depend on how those pesky contract talks progress over the coming months.
There is interest not only from Ibrox, per Football Insider’s Peter O’Rourke, but also in the English Premier League. Conway has admirers at Nottingham Forest, Wolves and Brentford.
No wonder Bristol City are determined to tie down their prized asset. Conway’s current deal expires in the summer of 2025, after all, meaning they would have to sell for well below market value if fresh terms cannot be agreed.
Rangers eye Bristol City striker Tommy Conway
“Tommy Conway has a year (on his contract) in the summer,” Brian Tinnion, Bristol City’s technical director, tells the BBC. “And we need to try and get him tied down. We’ll work really hard on that.
“We’ve had the conversations with the agent. And (we want) to have those conversations – and with Tommy – again. We want Tommy Conway contracted to the football club.
“He’s a fantastic person, he’s a fantastic player, he’s a goalscorer and he’s really important to us. So we’ll be working really hard from now to get Tommy contracted to the football club.”
Conway, capped by Scotland at under-21 level, has scored eight goals this season. One of those came against West Ham United in the FA Cup, Bristol City doing what they have done numerous times in the modern era and sending a top-flight club packing.
‘£6 or £7 million’
Despite his rangy 6ft 1ins frame, Conway has been likened to Leicester legend Jamie Vardy due to his penchant for making well-timed runs off the shoulder of the last defender.
“He is a talented boy,” Peter Grant, who spent 15 years at Rangers’ Old Firm rivals Celtic, tells Go Radio, suggesting that clubs based north of the border would struggle to stump up the sort of fee Bristol City want even with Conway’s contract running down.
“Going for the likes of Conway would cost you an arm and a leg financially. You are talking about £6 or £7 million, and that’s after you have had two good games. You have been on the television (that West Ham clash broadcast on the BBC). That’s what it becomes.
“He is a talented boy. There are a few boys down in England, who are really good players. But (clubs in Scotland) have no chance of touching them.”
