BREAKING: Portsmouth to complete deal for Bristol City defender with January business underway

The Bristol City defender will become the Blues’ first piece of January business, as he seals his arrival at Fratton Park on a three-and-a-half year move.

Pompey have agreed a deal for around £30,000 plus add-ons for the 20-year-old, who has spent this season out on loan with AFC Wimbledon in League Two.

Towler has made four Championship starts and one FA Cup appearance for the Robins, with boss Nigel Pearson confirming his departure is close.

He said: ‘I think it's a fantastic opportunity for him and he deserves it. He's done well for us but he also needed to go out and play games. It's a positive move for him. As it stands at the moment, the clubs have agreed a fee but it's now down to see whether the deal gets completed. Until it's done, I can't confirm it's over the line. That's just how these things work.

‘Because we have lots of players in the system now. Ryley needs to find his level. We're delighted for him because he's great lad and decent player. Because of our ability to develop players here, there are a lot of players here speaking to many coaches in the academy, believe we've got better in the system. It's quite straight forward really. We try to produce players for ourselves and we've been successful at doing that.

‘Ryley's had opportunities with the first team and done okay but we want to try and produce top end players for ourselves. It's as simple as that so decisions have to be made and I think we've had quite long periods here of collecting players and keeping them in the building and re-loaning them out. Sometimes you just have to make decisions on players and it's in their interest as well to go go and play regular football.

‘Somebody like Cam Pring, would be a good example of if you want to be really, really, patient but I'm not sure it was a lot patience, it was more he was just farmed out time after time.

‘I don't think that's good for anybody. I've played with players who were serial loanees and I can tell you, talking to players who are that type of players, it's not particularly good for them. We make decisions that we feel are right for the football club. If that money can be reinvested back into the academy, then even better.

‘Ryley's flitted between the Under21s, the first team, been out on loan and it's a decision we've made as a club that we feel is in the best interest of us and in the best interest of Ryley. He would benefit massively from building his career elsewhere. Good for him.’