Bristol City agree pre-January transfer deal for ex-Liverpool man - multi-year contract to be signed | OneFootball

Ranel Young is reportedly Ashton Gate-bound

Bristol City have reportedly agreed a deal with ex-Liverpool academy forward, Ranel Young, which will see him move to Ashton Gate at the start of the upcoming winter transfer window.

That is according to a report from Football Insider on Tuesday evening, with the 19-year-old currently plying his trade in Serbia for First League outfit, FK Usce Novi Beograd.

It is set to be a rather important transfer window for Gerhard Struber and the Robins, as they currently find themselves amongst a clutch of sides fighting it out for a spot in the play-off places come the end of the regular Championship season.

City, of course, are well aware of what it takes to achieve a top six berth in this division, having done so last season under Liam Manning, who departed for Norwich City afterwards, paving the way for Struber to agree a three-year contract in the West Country, just a handful of weeks after he was remarkably relieved of his duties as FC Koln boss as the German outfit returned to the Bundesliga.

Heading into Christmas Day, the Austrian's outfit find themselves residing in ninth place, having taken 33 points from their opening 22 games played, with the last of those being a statement 2-0 success over Middlesbrough, handing the Teesside outfit a first defeat under their newly-appointed head coach, Kim Hellberg, in the process.

Struber hasn't made the largest number of tweaks from the side which reached the play-offs last campaign under Manning, it must be said. However, it is clear that further reinforcements are needed in January as the Robins continue to endure a major injury crisis, with on-loan Manchester United goalkeeper, Radek Vitek, the latest victim on this particularly unfortunate front.

Yet, just a handful of days after reports emerged that City and the aforementioned Young had held initial talks over a potential return to English football, it appears that the second tier side have secured a deal for the former Anfield prospect.

Bristol City agree £0 deal to sign former Liverpool winger Ranel Young

The aforementioned developments were initially reported by local publication, Bristol Live, on December 17th, with Young struggling for regular minutes at his current employers in the second tier of Serbian football.

Young moved to the Belgrade-based outfit just a handful of months ago, after it was revealed that he had surprisingly turned down the opportunity of renewing his contract with Liverpool after the Merseyside outfit had reclaimed the Premier League title for the first time in five years under Arne Slot.

Football Insider then revealed that a deal had initially been agreed between Young and the Championship side, whilst claiming that he had also cancelled his contract with FK Usce Novi Beograd, opting to depart the club after making just five appearances after his maiden venture into European football outside the Liverpool youth ranks, where he had featured in the UEFA Youth League.

However, the same publication has since stated that talks between the two parties have advanced further following City's impressive victory over Middlesbrough over the weekend.

As such, it has been reported that a deal has been completed, meaning that, if all goes to plan, the 19-year-old will be officially confirmed as a Robins player when the transfer window reopens for business on New Year's Day on a two-year deal.

This also comes just days after talks between City and EFL veteran plus former Ipswich Town double promotion-winning captain, Sam Morsy, had advanced to the stage where it had been reported that an initial six-month deal between the Championship play-off hopefuls and the Egyptian international was finalised, whilst there is also the potential for the 34-year-old to remain at Ashton Gate until the end of the 2026/27 season.

Given his inexperience in the senior game, it remains to be seen what immediate plans Struber has for Young, given the fact that City are extremely light on numbers, particularly in midfield.

After signing from his hometown club, Huddersfield Town, at Under-12s level, the winger eventually progressed through Liverpool's youth ranks and was handed his first professional contract in May 2023.

Despite never making a first-team appearance at Anfield, Young was named as an unused substitute against Brighton and Hove Albion and Plymouth Argyle last season in the EFL Cup and FA Cup respectively.

Of course, to have been at a club of Liverpool's stature for so long, even in the academy, suggests that Young is clearly a talented player, and that his attributes clearly were not best suited to the style of FK Usce.