Bristol City defender Ryley Towler is wanted by a host of clubs on loan with the Robins considering letting him leave temporarily to gain further first-team experience, according to reports.
The 20-year-old centre-back is highly rated at Ashton Gate and has been earmarked to have a long and bright future in the heart of defence in BS3.
However after Timm Klose signed a new deal and the arrival of Kal Naismith, Towler is likely to find first-team opportunities few and far between with Nigel Pearson left with an abundance of centre-backs on his books heading into pre-season.
According to Football Insider, Lincoln, Forest Green Rovers, Cheltenham Town, Morecambe, Salford and Tranmere have all 'expressed an interest' in signing Towler on a loan deal.
Forest Green, Lincoln, Cheltenham and Morecambe will compete in League One next season while Salford and Tranmere are in League Two. City will want to send Towler to a club where he is playing regular first-team football.
Towler has had three loan spells since coming through the youth ranks at Frome Town, Taunton and most recently National League side Grimsby at the beginning of last season. He made 14 appearances in total for the Mariners and impressed in their backline before being recalled to City in December.
The youngster would then feature in a 45-minute cameo in a 3-2 league victory over Millwall at the beginning of January before a back injury ruled him out of action until March when he would return for the Under-23s.
That return to action was short-lived after being forced off in the 44th minute of his comeback against Cardiff but he would come back into the youth set-up towards the end of the season in their run to the cup final which ultimately ended in defeat against Coventry at Ashton Gate.
Manager Nigel Pearson addressed his plan for Towler before the end of the season where he admitted he was hoping the player would be involved among the first-team. He said: "Hopefully by pre-season, he will be in a position where he's involved with the first-team squad, so he's a popular lad who has made real progress over the last two or three years and he's keeping us entertained with his antics on other platforms."
However, with competition at the back rife, a loan switch is likely to be the best option to aid Towler's development. City have 11 central defenders as it stands in Klose, Naismith, Rob Atkinson, Robbie Cundy, Tomas Kalas, Nathan Baker, Zak Vyner, Duncan Idehen, Cam Pring and Taylor Moore.
That number is likely to be reduced over the coming weeks with Vyner and Moore up for sale, Cundy's contract situation still unresolved, uncertainties over Baker following his concussion and doubts about Kalas' immediate future. Like Towler, Naismith, Idehen, Atkinson and Naismith are all left-sided defenders.
A loan move could also see Idehen stay with the City squad next season and compete for a first-team spot. The youngster forced his way into the first-team reckoning towards the end of last season and made his City debut in a 3-1 victory away at Derby in April.
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