Rangers, Wolves and Crystal Palace in transfer race for Bristol City star | OneFootball

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Bristol City forward Sam Bell is attracting significant transfer interest from elsewhere, with Premier League clubs among those keeping tabs on him, according to TEAMtalk.

Bell is the latest product of the Robins' academy to establish himself in the first team and he enjoyed an excellent start to the season, scoring the opening goal in the 1-1 draw with Preston North End at Ashton Gate on Saturday.

TEAMtalk claim that Brentford, Brighton & Hove Albion, Crystal Palace and Wolverhampton Wanderers all watched Bell in action against the Lilywhites, while Scottish Premiership side Rangers are also keen.

City could be facing a battle to hold on to Bell, but they are said to be "aware of the widespread interest" and they could "move to tie Bell down to a new deal with a pay rise fitting of his current first-team status".

Who is Sam Bell?

Bell made his debut for the Robins against Birmingham City in December 2020, but it was not until the end of last year that he began to cement himself in the first team.

The 21-year-old featured regularly in the second half of last season, scoring six goals and providing three assists in 29 appearances in all competitions throughout the campaign.

Bell offers City useful versatility with his ability to play out wide or through the middle and after his strong start to the season, he looks set to be a key part of Nigel Pearson's plans this term.

Pearson is a big admirer of Bell and and has described him as a "naturally clean finisher", while speaking after the draw against North End, the forward revealed he is targeting double figures for goals and assists this campaign.

"I’ve been thinking about it all summer, really," Bell told BristolLive. "You want to get off the mark early. It was a good feeling. Nahki shot, it was a great save from the keeper but they’re the moments when the defenders switch off a little bit and that’s where we come alive as forwards. We’ve got to try and predict where the ball’s going to go. Luckily it fell straight to my feet and I tucked it away.

"It’s natural to me, playing as a striker all my days as a kid, it’s something I’ve always had a knack for; being in the right place at the right time and then just thankfully it’s come to fruition a bit. It’s when defenders switch off and that’s when we’ve got to be at our sharpest to try and nick in front of them.

"I like to set myself minimum figures and anything above that is a bonus, not just goals, I want to assist as well so I’ve set myself a target of getting double in both. I feel that would be a really successful season and on that left side I feel I can get a lot of assists."

Bell is not the only Robins academy product attracting interest from elsewhere, with £25 million-rated midfielder Alex Scott being linked with the likes of Bournemouth, West Ham United and Wolves.

Should Bristol City sell Sam Bell this summer?

The Robins will be incredibly reluctant to lose Bell.

He is a player with huge potential and he has become one of the Robins' main attacking threats in recent months.

One of the huge positives of Pearson's tenure at Ashton Gate has been his willingness to give youth a chance, with the likes of Max O'Leary, Cameron Pring, Tommy Conway and George Tanner also featuring regularly in the first team.

It is not only beneficial to the Robins on the pitch, but they will receive significant fees for their academy products when they are eventually sold.

The opportunity to play top flight football could be tough for Bell to turn down, while Brighton and Rangers could also offer him European football, but as City have proven with Scott, they will not sell their prized assets for any less than their valuation.