Bristol City boss Steve Coppell has urged striker Nicky Maynard to stay and fire the club to promotion next season.

The 23-year-old is believed to have attracted interest from two Premier League club but Coppell insists City do not want to sell.

He told BBC Points West: "I hope Nicky wants to stay and is hopeful of getting promotion with us next year so he can ply his trade in the top division.

"We won't have to sell Nicky for financial reasons - that's for sure."

Coppell added: "A lot of clubs in the division if they had Nicky would be trying to sell him to aid their cash flow.

"Luckily we are insulated against that.

"But if a big club comes in and gets in a player's brain, that sort of pressure can be very difficult to withstand."

Speaking about possible acquisitions, the former Reading and Crystal Palace boss said: "Some clubs have targets and are already making moves.

"To be honest, I haven't got targets yet - I'm just gathering information and seeing who is out there."

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