Bristol City have agreed a deal to sign Max Bird from Derby County, according to a report from John Percy in the Telegraph.
The 23-year-old will join the club on a permanent deal, but he will be sent back on loan to Derby until the end of the campaign. The midfielder’s contract at the Rams was set to expire in the summer.
Bird has made 30 appearances in all competitions for the League One side this season, scoring three times and delivering five assists within those games. He has played for the club since 2010 and came up through the ranks before making his first-team debut in 2017.
City have already made one impressive midfield edition after landing Burnley midfielder Scott Twine earlier in the window, and that area of the squad is set to look even stronger when the Derby midfielder joins in the summer.
According to BBC Sport Derby, the player turned down a new contract at his current club. The sale comes after manager Paul Warne declared earlier in the window that it would take a mind-blowing offer for the club to consider selling the player.
“He is a player I’d like to keep. I love Max,”.
“Unless it is a mind-blowing offer, Max is essential to the success of this club. So I’m hopeful that by the time the end of the season comes around we could have got into a position where everyone is happy.”
The Rams are currently fourth in League One and have a real shot at promotion this season. They sit just four points behind leaders Portsmouth, with a game in hand. Their next game is against Charlton Athletic away from home on Saturday, and Bird will be available for selection.
A fee is yet to be reported in regards to the deal and remains undisclosed. The player has a current market value of £2.38 million according to Transfermarkt.
Writer’s View
Bird is quite clearly a Championship level midfielder and it wasn’t going to be long before he played in that division, whether that was with Derby or another club. The Rams will feel like they’ve got a decent deal considering the player would have left for free in the summer and Bristol are getting a young talented player who can add some real depth to their midfield.
Promotion may be too difficult this season for Manning’s side considering the competition in front of them, but with Bird coming in and Twine already signed, next season could represent a different story.
