Bristol City are plotting a move for Leicester City centre-back Filip Benkovic with Brendan Rodgers willing to let him leave in order to gain more game time.

The 22-year-old was brought to Celtic by Rodgers during his time north of the border and was impressed with what he saw, although he remains considerably down the pecking order at the King Power Stadium.

Derby County were reportedly leading the race to secure his signature until the end of the season but according to the Mail Online, Lee Johnson and his team have now entered the running as well as they look to get their promotion push back on track.

QUIZ: Can you guess what these 14 ex-Bristol City men are up to now?

The Robins currently sit in eighth place in the Championship with 28 games played but just two points separates them from sixth placed Preston North End, whilst they remain eight points off the automatic promotion pace.

Having been knocked out of the FA Cup by Shrewsbury Town, the Robins have a break from action this weekend but face a tough trip on Tuesday night when they travel to an in form Reading side with hopes of hunting down a play-off place of their own.

The verdict

I am not sure this is a player Bristol City particularly need, no matter how well he may perform in the Championship.

Yes, Bailey Wright has left on loan until the end of the season, so it could be argued that there is a space to fill, but with the likes of Nathan Baker, Ashley Williams, Thomas Kalas and Taylor Moore still to compete adding another competitor seems pointless.

Bristol need to focus on the other end of the pitch and make sure they are capturing their top attacking targets because that has been their undoing this season.