Bristol City are close to signing Rene Gilmartin as they look to kickstart their summer dealings, according to the Bristol Post.

The 32-year-old is out of contract at Colchester United and he is set to turn down a fresh deal from the League Two outfit to link up with Lee Johnson at the Robins.

Gilmartin kept nine clean sheets in 22 league games for the Us last season as he operated in a player-coach capacity, and he is now set to bolster City's goalkeeping options following Frank Fielding's release from Ashton Gate.

Bristol City confirmed on Friday that Pat Mountain will take over from David Coles as the club's new goalkeeping coach, and the club would reportedly be interested in Gilmartin taking on a dual coaching role alongside Mountain.

Gilmartin has played for Colchester since 2017 and he has also had stints at Watford, Yeovil, Plymouth Argyle and St Patrick's Athletic prior to this.

The Verdict

This is an interesting move, and one that plenty of Bristol City fans will surely have doubts over.

However, I think it is unlikely that Gilmartin will become the Robins' first-choice goalkeeper, as Johnson is surely looking to recruit Gilmartin to add some experience to his goalkeeping ranks.

Gilmartin will be a lively presence and could be a good addition to the coaching team in the dressing room, but I can't see his role stretching further than that. He struggled at times for Colchester in League Two last season, so I don't think he would be well-suited to the Championship.