How much Bristol City must pay to force Michael Skubala, Lincoln City u-turn | OneFootball

Bristol City are eyeing a fresh move for Lincoln City boss Michael Skubala - and the Robins have learned how much they must pay to make it happen

A number of Championship clubs are spending the initial stages of the off-season pursuing new managerial hires and Bristol City are among the division's managerless outfits after dispensing of Roy Hodgson after the ex-England chief's interim spell in the West Country.

Hodgson returned to the club in which he initiated his domestic career in the dugout all the way back in 1982 on an interim basis until the end of the 2025/26 Championship campaign following Gerhard Struber's dismissal in March, leaving the Robins to eye a fresh permanent successor to the Austrian boss ahead of the summer months.

Bristol City will understand the importance of nailing the latest hire at Ashton Gate following last season's mid-table finish, with supporters eager to see the club kick on towards potential play-off contention once more.

Portsmouth head coach John Mousinho, who has earned a wide range of plaudits for stabilising the south coast outfit in the second-tier over the past two seasons while operating under a limited budget, emerged as a reported contender for the vacancy in BS3, although more recent reports have suggested that he won't be leaving his post at Pompey to join City.

The Robins were left to lick their wounds on Wednesday evening when AFC Bournemouth coach Tommy Elphick rejected the opportunity to take over in the red quarters of Bristol, having held "positive talks" with the club's hierarchy before deciding to remain at the Vitality Stadium ahead of Marco Rose's arrival to succeed Andoni Iraola.

Michael Skubala, meanwhile, has been cited as another contender after romping to the League One title against all odds with Lincoln City.

Any potential route down to the Robins appeared off the cards when Skubala put pen to paper on a new contract at Sincil Bank last week after Elphick emerged as their top contender, although a new twist has transpired - with the amount of money that the Championship side would have to shell out for his appointment now revealed.

Bristol City twist emerges involving Lincoln City's Michael Skubala and £1m+ revelation

As per a fresh emerging update reported by Nick Mashiter of BBC Sport, Bristol City are weighing up another approach to lure Skubala away from Lincoln following the club's failure to seal the appointment of Elphick.

Skubala had, of course, been in contention for the job before the Robins opted to prioritise Elphick instead, having informed the highly-rated boss of their intentions.

That led to Skubala agreeing a new two-year deal at Lincoln after an initial lower release clause was triggered, with the fresh agreement seeming to signal the Imps' security of retaining the 38-year-old's services.

But, that isn't quite the case and Skubala is now in contention to land the job once more.

The report has added how much could be required to seal Skubala's appointment, too, with the new contract meaning a sum in excess of £1 million will now be required to take the popular manager out of Lincolnshire after ending the club's long-term Championship exile with a stunning run to the third-tier title in the 2025/26 season over Cardiff City.

Bristol City should take £1m Michael Skubala action

The financial purse-strings have been notoriously tight at Ashton Gate in recent seasons, although that shouldn't prevent Bristol City from making a serious play for Skubala.

They have been hindered by prioritising Elphick at a time in which Skubala's release clause was considerably lower, but shelling out more than £1 million could still be a shrewd call considering just how promising the ex-Leeds United coach is.

His work at Lincoln has been nothing short of remarkable, with the Imps' eventually-unopposed title-winning campaign representing one of the EFL's great feats of the season.

It's all the more impressive given that Lincoln ultimately finished some 12 points clear of second-placed Cardiff despite having one of the division's lower wage bills after being largely unfancied in the pre-season promotion picture.

Skubala's experience of elevating a squad, recruiting in savvy fashion and operating under a limited playing budget means he's surely an ideal fit at Bristol City, who must now do nothing other than amplying their efforts to prise him away from Lincoln.