Stoke City miss out on striker target after reported £2.5m transfer offer | OneFootball

Bristol City outcast Fally Mayulu has joined Sturm Graz on loan, despite reported Stoke interest.

Bristol City striker Fally Mayulu has joined Austrian Bundesliga side Sturm Graz on loan until the end of the season, in spite of his supposed interest from Championship rivals Stoke City.

Mayulu, who only joined the Robins in July, has managed just three Championship starts since his move from Rapid Wien, which is believed to have been worth up to £2.5 million.

Seemingly surplus to requirements in Liam Manning's play-off chasing side this campaign after a string of cameo appearances, the temporary deal may come as a surprise to many, given reports of the Potters tabling a £2.5 million offer to take Mayulu off their hands permanently.

Fally Mayulu completes temporary Bristol City exit amid Stoke City interest

Arriving for a seven-figure fee, alongside being entrusted with the number nine shirt, it is fair to assume that the 6ft 4in forward was expected to be the starting striker at Ashton Gate this campaign.

Life at Bristol City could not have begun better for the 22-year-old, as Mayulu scored from the bench in each of his first two Robins appearances. However, these remain his only two strikes for the South West side.

The Frenchman has played just 32 league minutes since the turn of the year, having not even made the bench in the Cider Army's last three matches, and after failing to displace 34-year-old Nahki Wells, it has become increasingly apparent that the young striker was to be, at least for this season, a largely peripheral member of the squad.

The interest from Stoke was perplexing for supporters on both sides, with The Mirror's Dan Marsh reporting earlier in the week that a £2.5 million offer had been tabled by the Staffordshire outfit.

However, the Potters' acquisition of Iraqi forward Ali Al-Hamadi from Ipswich Town on loan, combined with the proficiency of young talent Nathan Lowe, has seemingly quelled further recruitment in that area, with no real need to now add Mayulu to their ranks - it turns out though they've lost out on him anyway.

Mayulu returns to Austria, a country he knows well having spent last season with capital side Rapid Wein and BW Linz before that, whom he achieved second tier promotion with in 2023, scoring 11 goals.

However, new temporary employers Sturm Graz are perhaps the pick of the bunch, finding themselves on course to win a second successive Austrian Bundesliga, sitting atop the table at the exact mid-way point of the campaign.

Die Schwoazn (the Blacks) have also been participating in this season's UEFA Champions League, although having lost six out of seven matches, they are guaranteed to be eliminated this Wednesday.

They have needed a new striker though after selling ex-Arsenal forward Mika Biereth to Monaco, and Mayulu seemingly fits the bill in the short-term.

While Mayulu's Bristol City career is not necessarily over, he must impress during his six-month stay in the Styrian capital if he is to rejuvenate himself ahead of 2025-26 - whether that be in England or elsewhere.