Bristol City are hoping to sign Republic of Ireland youth international Jake O'Brien on loan this month to bolster their options in defence with a view to a permanent deal.
The 21-year-old is temporarily with Belgium second-tier side RWD Molenbeek from Crystal Palace but is expected to return to England. They currently sit at the top of the league with O'Brien featuring in 18 of their 20 matches this campaign.
The Robins have a long-standing interest in the towering defender who has a contract with the Premier League side until the summer of 2024. Manager Nigel Pearson has previously stated his intentions to sign a right-sided central defender having missed out on one during the summer.
City scouts have been in Belgium to watch him in action on numerous occasions this season and have been encouraged by his performances. O'Brien scored in Saturday's 2-1 victory over Lierse to move his side closer to promotion.
A strong, powerful player, O'Brien is a ball-playing defender and standing at 6ft 4' is dominant in an aerial battle. Last week, Pearson confirmed the club could welcome two new arrivals through the door this month including a new forward to replace Antoine Semenyo with Luton's Harry Cornick a target.
O'Brien who came through the ranks at Cork City, moved to Palace permanently in the summer of 2021. He has yet to feature for the Eagles but spent the second half of last season on loan with League Two Swindon before being linked with a possible move to Bristol Rovers as Joey Barton eyed a replacement for Connor Taylor but instead headed to Belgium.
He has also featured internationally for Republic of Ireland's Under-21 side. It would prove an intriguing addition to the back line where, as it stands, City are reasonably well stocked. Zak Vyner's resurgent form has been a major positive this season while Rob Atkinson has largely been consistent throughout the season.
Having recently switched to a back four, Kal Naismith has slotted into a defensive midfield role while Tomas Kalas has recently returned from injury having made the last two matchday squads.
However, Kalas' future beyond this season remains uncertain with his contract expiring while Vyner's deal is also coming to an end this summer although the club have the option for an extra year. The club hope to offload out-of-favour Timm Klose before tomorrow's deadline.
City have also been linked with a move for AFC Wimbledon left-back Jack Currie. Reports in Football Insider suggest the Robins have had two bids rejected for the 21-year-old with the League Two club in no rush to sell.
That is partly because they have already allowed winger Ayoub Assal to Qatari club Al-Wakrah SC for around £1.2m and allowed Jack Rudoni to leave for Huddersfield in the summer for around £800,000.
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