Striker set for Bristol City exit - Birmingham City & Wrexham should pounce | OneFootball

Emil Riis looks set to leave Bristol City this summer before the deadline, as Birmingham City and Stoke City should plot moves

Bristol City striker Emil Riis Jakobsen is expected to leave Ashton Gate before the September deadline, as Football League World takes a look at two Championship clubs that should be in the running for his signature.

According to Bristol Live, Danish striker Riis looks set to depart Bristol City this summer, with the former Preston North End striker appearing to be out of Michael Skubala's plans.

Bristol Live reports that numerous Championship clubs, as well as teams from across Europe, are interested in the 28-year-old's signature, whose contract at Ashton Gate runs until the summer of 2028, having penned a three-year deal following his free move from Preston last year.

Emil Riis looks to be out of Michael Skubala's plans at Bristol City amid summer transfer business

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Bristol City have enjoyed a busy window under new boss Skubala and new sporting director James Ellis, bringing in ten new first-team additions to the squad so far, and with just under a week to go, more could yet arrive.

Included in those ten additions are Lorent Tolaj, who joins from Plymouth Argyle for around £4 million, Dominic Ballard from Leyton Orient for around £5 million, and most recently Elijah Adebayo, who arrives on a free transfer following his release from Luton Town.

Skubala was always going to prioritise signings in the centre-forward role this summer following the departures of Sinclair Armstrong, Harry Cornick, and Delano Burgzorg, as now Riis looks to be the next casualty of the former Lincoln City boss' overhaul.

With Riis more than likely on the move, FLW has taken a look at two Championship clubs that ought to be in for his signature before the deadline.

Birmingham City

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Birmingham City haven't begun the season in particularly promising fashion, drawing both of their Championship games thus far against Sheffield United and Bristol City, whilst Tuesday night's clash at home to Brentford saw the Blues dumped out of the League Cup in humiliating circumstances, losing 6-1 to the Bees.

Head coach Chris Davies, who oversaw the club's rise from League One in 2025 and subsequent top-half finish last campaign, is under increased pressure from the Birmingham supporters, such as the expectations the club have under the ownership of Tom Wagner and Tom Brady.

Davies has been afforded well over £50 million in transfer funds over the past few years, and having completed deals for the likes of Jhon Solis, Luis Vazquez, Kristoffer Lund Hansen, and Max Bird this summer, he cannot claim he hasn't been backed again.

Blues' pursuit of Joe Gelhardt ended with the former Leeds United forward joining Hull City instead, as with Marvin Ducksch looking increasingly likely to leave in the next week or so, another option up top is a necessity for Birmingham.

August Priske and Vazquez will jostle for a place up top at St Andrews next season, but Davies should be looking to add Riis to the mix to add some much-needed Championship experience to their forward line.

With a half-century of goals in over 200 games in the English second-tier, Riis knows exactly what the division is about, and if he is provided with regular service, he can very easily rack up a double-digit haul of goal contributions across a season.

Stoke City

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Stoke City, like Birmingham, haven't had the greatest beginning to the 2026/27 campaign, losing both of their Championship fixtures thus far to Swansea City and Southampton, before being dumped out of the League Cup on Tuesday night at the hands of Premier League side Hull City.

The Potters would take the clash to a penalty shootout, where George Hirst's spot-kick would be saved by Dillon Phillips as the only missed penalty of the ten.

Hirst arrived last week for an initial £6 million, rising to £10 million from Ipswich Town to become Stoke's new main focal point up top, providing competition for Sam Gallagher and Robert Bozenik following Milan Smit's loan to German second-tier side Darmstadt.

The Sun's Charlie Gordon had reported last week that Stoke were looking to offload Bozenik following the arrival of Hirst, with head coach Mark Robins shaking things up in attack in the Potteries.

Should Stoke indeed be after another striker before the window slams shut, Riis would be a solid option.

Football League World's Potters fan pundit, Ryan Beresford, has previously backed the club to make a return for Sheffield United striker Tom Cannon, but with that move looking unlikely, Riis would be solid alternative.

At six-foot-three-inches tall, the Dane is more than capable of acting as the main focal point of attack, with Robins having often preferred a physical, dominant centre-forward to spearhead his attack, having signed the likes of Haji Wright, Ellis Simms, and Divin Mubama in years prior.

Whilst not the most prolific striker in the world, Riis managed to bag 16 goals and grab five assists in 44 Championship games during the 2021/22 campaign for Preston, which would have been the most a Stoke player has scored in a season in over two decades.