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Bristol City in fight to keep Harambee Stars prospect amid interest from Wrexham
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Reading Time: 3min | Wed. 14.01.26. | 09:45
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the future of the Harambee Stars-eligible defender, Struber has reiterated his desire to keep him at the English Championship club
Bristol City head coach Gerhard Struber has explained why he is keen to retain Harambee Stars prospect Zak 'Zaky' Vyner at the club as he enters the final months of his contract, describing the defender as the “face of the club”.
The 28-year-old’s top performances have attracted interest from several English Football League (EFL) Championship clubs.
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Contract negotiations between Vyner and the club have been ongoing for months, but so far, there has been no breakthrough. The same situation applies to in-form forward Anis Mehmeti, who has also been linked with a move away. Reports suggest Wrexham is among the clubs tracking Vyner.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the future of the Harambee Stars-eligible defender, Struber has reiterated his desire to keep him at Bristol City.
The coach highlighted Vyner’s long-standing contribution to the club, having progressed through the youth system to become the player with the most appearances in the club’s history. Bristol have confirmed that they have put forward a substantial contract offer to the defender.
“Especially Zaky, he is the face of the club; he grew up here, and he has a big time here in this club. Of course, my big wish is that we agree on the contract, and I would say Zaky has a really good offer on the table right now. I would say the same is with Anis,” Struber told Bristol Live.
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The coach added that he would be delighted to keep both players as part of the club’s project for a little longer, but acknowledged the reality that they could leave, given the performances they have displayed in recent months.
“They know what they have with us here, with this club. They also know how they fit into our football identity. In many ways, I would be happy, and they could also be happy if we continue together with the project a bit longer.
At the same time, football is also a business, and of course, with the performances they’ve shown in the last few months, it’s crystal clear that other clubs are knocking on the door for Anis or Zaky.”
On the possibility of a January departure, Struber said he hopes to keep the duo until the end of the season but admitted that not everything is in his hands.
“I hope that we go the way with them until the last second here in the summer, but not everything is in my hand or the club’s. I hope that we have a successful few months ahead.
First and foremost, I’m really, really happy with both players. Zaky and Anis have made a big difference performance-wise in the last few months and have been really important for us.”
Bristol returns to action on Saturday with an away game against Oxford United.
