Bristol Rovers in three-way transfer battle for Bradford City player | OneFootball

Bristol Rovers have been working hard to secure the signature of departing Bradford centre-back Ciaran Kelly

While Bristol Rovers' return to League Two ended in a bottom-half finish, they ended the campaign in title-winning form, and there's clear optimism ahead of next season.

The Gas had lost 10 on the bounce when Darrell Clarke was sacked, and in his place came Steve Evans. It took a while for the former Rotherham United and Stevenage boss to get his feet under the table, but when he did, his side looked unstoppable.

Bristol Rovers won 10 of their last 12 games of the season, dropping points to league champions Bromley and play-off finalists Notts County in that time. An eight-game winning run leading to the final day meant the Pirates ended the season with the longest winning and longest individual losing runs in the fourth tier.

No one at the Memorial Stadium wanted the season to end, and the focus during the ongoing offseason is not letting that momentum dry up and attacking the transfer market to bring in players ready to push for promotion.

Bristol Rovers in three-way battle to sign out-of-contract Bradford City player

According to reports from Bristol Live, Steve Evans has been working tirelessly to bring out-of-contract centre-back Ciaran Kelly to the Memorial Stadium this summer, with his three-year stay at Bradford City set to come to a close shortly.

The Irishman was one of seven Bantams not to be offered a new contract at Valley Parade following a successful first campaign back in League One, which ended in play-off defeat against Bolton Wanderers.

Kelly made 18 third-tier appearances this past season, but only played one minute since late February, coming off the bench late in their final day win over Exeter City. He was included on the bench in the away leg of the play-off semi-finals, but didn't make the squad at Valley Parade last Thursday.

Nevertheless, the 27-year-old brings promotion pedigree in League Two, and Steve Evans has understandably targeted him for transfer. The Gas reportedly had a bid rejected by Bradford in January for Kelly, but now with him out of contract in June, Rovers are looking to complete a pre-contract agreement.

The report goes on to state that Evans held face-to-face talks with the centre-back on Tuesday, and the conversation lasted over two hours.

But he won't be alone in the pursuit, as the Pirates are expected to face competition from two other unnamed EFL sides, one in League One, and a fellow League Two outfit.

Ciaran Kelly would be a perfect addition to Bristol Rovers' defensive depth for next season

Clearly, Evans has highlighted defensive depth as a place that Bristol Rovers must improve this summer.

Tom Lockyer is set to depart, Kofi Balmer is heading back to Motherwell at the end of his loan spell, and both Taylor Moore and Macauley Southam-Hales have been transfer-listed, per their retained list at the end of the season.

Not only would Kelly provide that depth, though, he'd also come in having known what it takes to be part of a club that has finished in the top three and with a hunger to have a more prominent role in achieving that.

Indeed, the 27-year-old has been on the fringes of the action these past two seasons. As mentioned, he made just 18 third-tier appearances this year, and just 21 last, albeit various injuries took him out of action in the 2024/25 campaign.

A fully fit season at the heart of another promotion charge shouldn't be something that Kelly would turn down, and with Steve Evans' conversation with the Irishman taking over two hours, he clearly sees the 27-year-old as a key addition to helping boost the Gas' top three chances.

Bristol Rovers will likely go into pre-season as promotion favourites due to Evans' experience and the way they ended the current campaign, but making signings from the fringes of top League One teams, and beating out third-tier sides for those arrivals, will help solidify those favourite claims, too.