Bristol City striker Nahki Wells is available to leave Ashton Gate this summer but Bristol Live understands the striker’s departure is likely to be a long and protracted affair with the Robins still keen to recoup some financial value for the Bermudian.
Wells has one year remaining on his contract in BS3, having signed for a fee of around £5million in January 2021, and has been on the periphery of the starting XI throughout this season, making just seven Championship starts with a further 25 appearances off the bench.
That situation is unlikely to change going into the next campaign and runs contrary to his status as one of the highest-earning players at the club with City simply not extracting enough value on the pitch for the investment they have made, and continue to make, off of it.
The coming transfer window also represents the last opportunity City have to recoup something for the striker before his valuation begins to plummet before free agency next summer.
With January loan moves to Cardiff City and Swansea City breaking down due to the Robins insistence he would only be permitted to leave on a permanent move, and no viable options emerging over the course of the month, the same theory is likely to be applied for the coming transfer window.
The Mirror’s Darren Witcoop has reported that Wells will be allowed to leave the West Country on a free. That would deny City any transfer revenue but would allow a saving of around £1.2m to be made on the final 12 months of his deal.
That was the arrangement made with Adam Nagy last summer, as the Hungarian declared his wish to exit the club and return to Italy with a deal struck with Pisa in August, despite 12 months remaining on his agreement.
Bristol Live understands that Wells hasn’t been informed of what his transfer status is, nor are City considering the concept of him being available on a free. At least not yet, anyway.
Although frustrated at a lack of opportunities, Wells hasn’t formally requested a transfer, either. However, he is conscious that City want to reduce their wage bill and given another season spent predominantly on the sidelines awaits, an exit is more than likely, should a suitable deal for both parties be found.
In April, Wells said : "My main focus is to do as well as I can for Bristol City, if things change and we know how football goes, if there's a change in the management's approach then of course we have to look at other opportunities but I love it here, I still want to play, I still love working with the manager.
"I love my time here at this football club, I love coming into work and love playing for the club, love everything about it.
"But ultimately I'm here to play football and play as well as I can. Opportunities are coming few and far between and common logic suggests if another opportunity comes and presents itself to go and play then that is the right thing to do.
"And that is my approach. Even though I had an opportunity to go and play football or go out on loan, which I thought would be beneficial for my career at the time, it just didn't transpire."
There is a belief that despite his lack of game time over the last nine months, such is Wells’ Championship pedigree, there is still a significant market out there for the Bermudian international, even amidst a challenging financial landscape in the EFL.
But the overall expectation is that any move out of the club for Wells could drag long into the summer, potentially well into August, because the size of his salary makes him a difficult player to move as clubs rapidly decrease the wages they are willing to offer players, particularly those possessing minimal resale value, such as Wells.
Wells has had tentative interest from MLS clubs, due to playing in CONCACAF conference with Bermuda, with the secondary window in America's top-flight opening on July 7 and closing August 4.
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