Aston Villa have had an offer worth an initial £12m for Adam Webster rejected by Bristol City who are keen to hold on to the central defender.

The 24-year-old only arrived at Ashton Gate 12 months ago from Ipswich Town but he had a fine first season under Lee Johnson as the Robins just missed out on the play-offs.

He impressed with his strong presence in defence whilst he is also capable of building attacks from the back with his passing range.

And, his form appeared to catch the eye of several top-flight clubs, with reports emerging during the week suggesting that Villa, Newcastle and Everton were all monitoring Webster.

It appears that Dean Smith's men have made the first move to sign him though, with the Sky Sports Transfer Centre (15:43) revealing that the newly-promoted side have had an offer for the player turned down.

They also state that Bristol City don't want to sell and that they would demand a bigger fee before they even consider doing business.

The Verdict

You have to credit Bristol City for standing firm as even though they are right to want more, £12m is still a significant bid to turn down for a Championship defender.

However, the worry for the fans will be that this will lead to an improved offer and ultimately that Webster will depart.

It's vital that the club do all they can to keep him as he has years left on his deal and is a key player to Johnson moving forward.

But, we know that money talks and the Premier League will appeal to the player, so it will be interesting to see how this develops in the coming weeks.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.