Bristol City manager Lee Johnson has denied reports that there is a £12million release clause in Adam Webster's contract, and insisted that the defender is not for sale in the summer transfer window.

It was reported by Teamtalk earlier this week that The Robins were willing to sell Webster for £12 million, with Premier League clubs Aston Villa, Watford, Leicester, Newcastle and Burnley all said to be interested in the centre back.

Asked about the reports of a £12million pound asking price for Webster by The Bristol Post, Johnson gave an emphatic response, saying simply: "No, no, no, no, no, no."

Discussing whether it is possible for Webster to leave the club in the current transfer window, Johnson added: "I think the first port of call is that we understand the speculation because he's a fantastic player.

"Our stance is that we don't want to lose Adam Webster. You can never say never in football. But if you look at the values for other players flying around that sort of figure would be vastly undervaluing him from where I would see it.

"But at the same time I don't even want to talk about our best players leaving."

Webster only joined The Robins from Ipswich Town last summer, and enjoyed an impressive debut campaign at Ashton Gate, making 47 appearances and scoring three goals in all competitions for Johnson's side.

With three years remaining on his contract with the club, it will be some time yet until there is any pressure on Bristol City to sell the 24-year-old.

The Verdict

This has got to be welcome news for Bristol City fans.

Webster has had an impressive debut season with the club this year, so they will not have wanted to lose him so soon after bringing him, given the impact he has had during his time at the club.

Selling a number of key players this time 12 months ago didn't help Bristol City's chance of pushing for a top six spot last season, so they will not want a repeat scenario this time around having shown that there is still potential to challenge for the play-offs next season.

They will need a strong squad if they are to finally realise their potential in that respect in the coming campaign, and there seems to be an expectation that Webster will be a part of that.