Nigel Pearson's comments about expecting little Bristol City spending this summer have highlighted just how important moving players on is going to be for them in the upcoming window. 

The Robins may well have to create the funds needed to strengthen the squad before any new arrivals can be sought and one player that should be top of their list to offload is Kasey Palmer.

There's no doubting the playmaker's talent but he's only showcased it in rare glimpses since signing permanently for City in 2019 and has fallen out of favour completely under Pearson this season.

The 25-year-old is one of the club's highest earners, with Salary Sport reporting he's on £20,000-a-week, but has featured just six times in the Championship this term.

Clearly, keeping him around is not worth the money and as he enters the final year of his contract this summer likely represents their last chance to get any of the money they paid for him back.

With all that in mind, capitalising on Birmingham City's interest in the midfielder will clearly be crucial.

The Blues were linked with the former Chelsea player back in January but a move failed to materialise.

A report from The Sunday People ((24/04) via Birmingham Live) has indicated that the Championship club are still interested in signing Palmer, suggesting they will likely make another move for him in the upcoming window.

As many clubs have, the Robins have struggled to move players on in recent years so they need to make sure they capitalise on Birmingham's interest.

Getting a decent fee would obviously be fantastic for the South West club but more important than that is clearing Palmer's sizeable salary of their wage bill.

There are plenty of players in both the Championship and League One set to become free agents in the summer, which means that though even free transfers come with upfront costs, Pearson can strengthen his squad without having to pay transfer fees.

However, that can only happen if they've got significant space on the wage bill and selling Palmer would help them do that.

The 25-year-old is one of a number of players, alongside Nahki Wells and Taylor Moore, who should be offloaded if possible this summer and the Blues' interest offers them hope that a deal could happen.

They cannot afford not to make the most of it.