While Liam Manning continues to make headway in his preparations for the upcoming Championship campaign, the Bristol City boss will be hoping some deals get registered sooner rather than later.

The former Oxford United manager has had a steady transfer window to date, with Japanese winger Yu Hirakawa joining on a season-long loan deal from Machida Zelvia, while strikers Fally Mayulu and Sinclair Armstrong have arrived from Rapid Vienna and QPR respectively.

That’s not to say that the Robins haven’t been busy in trying to lure players to Ashton Gate over the past few weeks, with plenty of gossip and speculation surrounding a number of players futures with links to City.

Here we take a look at two such deals that the City boss will be hoping to get over the line before the window shuts on August 30th, but continue to rumble on through the summer as it stands.

2. Scott Twine

Will he or won’t he? The situation surrounding Scott Twine seems to be never-ending at this moment in time, with the playmaker’s future up in the air as it stands.

Having enjoyed a fruitful half-season loan spell at Ashton Gate during the previous campaign, Manning has made it clear that he would jump at the chance to work with the Burnley man once again, having also got the best out of the attacking midfielder during his time at MK Dons in League One.

The City boss said early this year: “I’d love to work with him. I think he fits the club and profile of player we’ve got but there are so many challenges that go into it.

“For me, he’s been great; I think he’s got another level he can go to, I think he’s starting to show that and he fits what we’re trying to do.”

Since the end of the season, Twine has returned back to Turf Moor, and had to endure a time where the Clarets were looking for a new manager to replace Bayern Munich-bound Vincent Kompany, until Scott Parker was appointed earlier this month.

That Lancashire limbo has seen Twine’s future plans put on hold for much of the off-season, with the former Fulham boss now keen to take a look at his new squad ahead of the season opener next month.

The 25-year-old will have done his chances of a recall the world of good with a hat-trick against Barnsley in a behind-closed-doors game recently, as City remain on standby in case he becomes available once again.

Having trained at Bristol City’s facilities over the summer, the club must have been hopeful that the playmaker was keen for a return to the West Country, despite interest from Sunderland and Birmingham City.

With all that in mind, the Twine fiasco looks like one that will run and run this summer, with Parker likely to decide who is in his first-team plans once the season gets underway for good.

1. Millenic Alli

Another player who has been linked with a move to Ashton Gate this summer is Exeter City’s Millenic Alli.

The 24-year-old only joined the Grecians in the most-recent January transfer window from National League outfit Halifax AFC, but four goals in 10 appearances has already put him on the radar of a number of Championship clubs.

As well as the red half of Bristol, Blackburn Rovers and Cardiff City are also said to be monitoring the progress of the forward, who was on the books of Stockport County earlier in his career.

Exeter are unlikely to want to give up one of their stars of the previous season without a fight, and as a result, this is a deal that could be dragging on for the next few weeks.

The Devon outfit are a side that know the value of their players, having sold Sam Nombe to Rotherham United for a fee in the region of £1 million in the previous summer transfer window, and won’t be letting their attacker go without a fight.

This is one that could also hang on the situation with Twine mentioned above, with an impasse regarding the Burnley man likely to force Manning’s arm into making a late move into the transfer market to cover any gaps in the attacking line.

If Alli starts the next campaign how he finished the last, interest is only going to ramp up in his services, and we could be set for a battle royal to sign him before the transfer window comes to an end.