Oxford United are set to reject Bristol City's opening offer for their defender Rob Atkinson, as per a recent update from the Sky Sports Transfer Centre.

As reported earlier by Bristol Live journalist Gregor MacGregor on Twitter, the Robins are said to have made a bid for the player that is also of interest to Celtic this summer.

However it is now being said that Oxford are seemingly set to turn down the bid, with the Sky Bet League One side said to be holding out for £2 million for the 22-year-old.

The defender originally moved to the Kassam Stadium from non league Eastleigh back in January of last year and has since become a mainstay at the heart of the club's defence.

Atkinson was named in the League One team of the season and is currently under contract with the U's until the summer of 2023.

The Verdict 

This will come as little surprise to Bristol City as Oxford United are no fools when it comes to driving hard bargains for their best young players.

The Robins may well have just been testing the water with their opening offer and I expect them to come back with a much improved bid if they are really serious about bringing Atkinson to Ashton Gate.

Their bid could well alert Celtic and force their hand into making a move themselves, with Oxford sure to be keen on a bidding war being started for the player.

The 22-year-old's progression since moving to the Football League has been nothing short of brilliant and it is no shock to see him receiving this sort of interest in his services.

In short, I do believe that Bristol City will get their man, but I think they will need to be hitting the £2 million pound mark to do just that.