Bristol City manager Lee Johnson has admitted that Matty Taylor could still leave the club this summer, with the transfer window yet to close for League One and League Two sides.

The 29-year-old forward has only made one cameo appearance for the Robins this season and was left out of the club's match-day squad for their Carabao Cup defeat to Queens Park Rangers on Tuesday.

Although reports linking Taylor with a move to Oxford United were played down by the Robins' assistant head coach Jamie McAllister (via the Bristol Post) earlier this week, his future at Ashton Gate is still very much hanging by a thread.

Whereas the forward did feature regularly for City during the previous campaign, a lack of consistency in-front of goal led to him only being able to find the back of the net on four occasions in the Championship.

Speaking to the Bristol Post about Taylor's current situation at City, Johnson admitted: "He's our player and he's under contract.

"I've got no problem with Matty Taylor at all.

"In terms of the way he plays.

"I love having him about the place ad I think he's been a really good signing for us and good value.

[ad_pod ]

"There's a natural question around pathway and that's something that we have to think about because we have to have a club-developed player in our squad or we can only have six subs.

"So our club-developed players that are good enough to affect the team at this moment in time are Antoine Semenyo, Saikou, Freddie Hinds, Aden Baldwin, Tyreeq Bakinson... I don't think Jonny Smith counts... Three of those five are forwards, so we have to think about everything.

"We've got to think about Matty Taylor having a future, a senior player getting enough game time and a young player getting enough game time.

"I'm not saying it's a definite, and if Matty wants to stay then I'm more than happy and delighted to have him in the squad, but at his stage in his career he may look to seek a a longer term future and potentially more starts than I can give him at this moment in time."

Taylor will be aiming to reclaim a spot in the Robins' squad when they host QPR in the Championship on Saturday.

The Verdict

Although Johnson didn't rule out the possibility of Taylor staying at Ashton Gate this season, the Robins boss should seriously consider accepting an offer for the forward if a bid does indeed surface in the coming weeks.

Given that the ex-Bristol Rovers man is below the likes of Famara Diedhiou, Benik Afobe and Antoine Semenyo in the pecking order at City, the likelihood of him breaking back into the club's starting eleven is very slim.

Therefore, moving him on could be beneficial for both parties as the Robins will receive a fee that they could re-invest into their squad during the January transfer window whilst Taylor will get the opportunity to rebuild his career elsewhere.