Ross McCrorie's expected arrival is the first step in addressing the balance that Nigel Pearson has craved in order to turn Bristol City into play-off contenders next season.
The City manager has been widely encouraged by the signs of progress his team have been making this season, both on and off the pitch, after they surpassed last season's points tally with two games to spare following the 2-1 victory over Rotherham on Saturday.
City's lack of strength in depth has been a concern over the course of the season, especially at the back and in midfield, which has been magnified with injuries to Tomas Kalas, Rob Atkinson, Kal Naismith, and Joe Williams during significant parts of the campaign.
The weight of responsibility on occasions has been carried by City's talented crop of youth talent as academy prospects continue to make their mark and earn their place in Pearson's side. As the manager mentioned and has done on several occasions in the past, inexperience at Championship level usually leads to inconsistency - Alex Scott excluded.
Finding those levels of consistency in performances have been an ongoing challenge since the manager's tenure, although there's little doubt there has been a notable improvement in this area during the season even though some of the results have gone against the club.
When asked how he gets City challenging for the play-offs next season, Pearson said: "I think we need a bit of balance in the squad.
"We know we have a lot of young players who are talented and have not just potential but have the tools to be successful at this level. What we probably need to add is probably one or two players with a bit more, not just experience, but the ability to perform consistently at a good level.
"We need to add and strengthen in the areas that we know that we need to address. Whether that be in the central defensive positions, whether that be in midfield positions, we just need to address the areas of the side that are currently in need of adding to and I think if we do it in a thoughtful way, I think the squad will be much better placed to be more successful next year."
City want to get some of their business completed early and that was emphasised by the revelation that talks with Aberdeen's McCrorie are at an advanced stage, although Pearson refused to comment on the links when asked last week. If he signs, the 25-year-old will bring versatility and is adept at playing as a defensive midfielder, centre-back, right-back, and right wing-back.
McCrorie has been performing consistently well throughout the season in the Scottish top flight having started 31 of their 33 league matches. Last month, he spoke to the Daily Record of his disappointment in failing to earn a call-up to Scotland's internationals but marked his intentions to, "keep playing at a high level."
The club will also look to conclude deals to sign central defender Jake O'Brien and AFC Wimbledon left-back Jack Currie sooner rather than later, as they look toward, young, dynamic, and energetic players to fit into Pearson's high-intensity style of play.
While summer additions and improvements remain paramount, Pearson is also excited with the way the young players continue to progress with another year's experience under their belts.
"You have to remember when dealing with young players," Pearson added. "People like Cam Pring will be in his third Championship year, George Tanner will be in his third Championship year, Zak Vyner, who has had a magnificent season, will be going into another season having had a very competent season whereas there have been question marks in the past.
"We've got experienced options in midfield but we also have players who - Alex Scott is still contracted here even though there's talk about him leaving - he's had two really good seasons for us.
"Tommy Conway... Sam Bell's had a really exciting season so all those players have the possibility to move onto another level again and that's what is also exciting because we'll add to the squad but the players we have may be better placed to perform again next year and I think that's quite an exciting prospect for us all to look forward to."
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