It looks set to be a busy summer for Bristol City as Nigel Pearson tries to rebuild his squad after releasing 11 senior players. 

The Robins are yet to confirm any signings but it seems Oxford United defender Rob Atkinson could be someone that makes the move to Ashton Gate this summer.

We've examined what we know so far to investigate whether it's likely to happen...

What do we know so far?

Football Insider reported yesterday that City were lining up a move for Atkinson after Oxford's play-off semi-final defeat.

That interest has since been confirmed by Gregor MacGregor from the Bristol Post, who has revealed the 22-year-old is on Pearson's summer list of transfer targets.

The central defender had a hugely impressive 2020/21 campaign, earning a place in the League One Team of the Season.

Atkinson still has two years left on his current deal at the Kassam Stadium, meaning Oxford may look to be strong in negotiations with City.

That said, they sold centre-back Rob Dickie to QPR last summer for a fee in the region of £2 million and are no strangers to selling their assets to Championship clubs.

Central defence is likely an area that Pearson will look to make improvements in as Adrian Mariappa, Nathan Baker, and Alfie Mawson are no longer at the club.

Is a transfer likely to happen?

Yes, you feel a move that sees Atkinson join Pearson's City squad is likely to happy this summer.

The 22-year-old would bolster the Robins' defensive unit and his ball-playing ability could make him an ideal parter for captain Tomas Kalas moving forward.

The defender is less experienced than Dickie and finances are likely to be tight this summer, so it would not be a surprise to see the deal cost less than the £2 million the R's paid when they signed Atkinson's former Oxford teammate ahead of the 2020/21 campaign.