Barnsley boss Lee Johnson in talks with Bristol City over vacant manager's position

The 34-year-old formerly played for the Robins between 2006 and 2012, amassing almost 200 appearances for the club.

Earlier today, Johnson was named the League One manager of the month after guiding the Tykes to five league wins from five but Bristol have identified him as a potential saviour to their Championship survival campaign.

The Robins have picked up just one win in their last nine games and have been manager-less since the departure of Steve Cotterill on 14th January.

“We gave this permission because we believe that the structures that we now have in place must be the key to our future success rather than dependence on a single individual,” a statement on the Barnsley website read.

“If Lee decides to stay with Barnsley Football Club we will be delighted, but if he chooses to move on, we will continue unabated with the plan we have in place.”

Johnson has won Oakwell fans over in recent months, with a strong run since November seeing the reds climb from 22nd to 12th in League One.

He also masterminded a trip to Wembley, with last night’s penalty shoot-out win over Fleetwood setting up a Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final showdown with Oxford United later in the spring.