Basso Wants Out

City keeper Adriano Basso has been transfer listed at his own request.

The 34-year old Brazilian was offered what the club described as an ‘excellent new deal’ at the end of last season.

But the theatrical South American has decided his future lies away from the Gate and his name will now be circulated to other clubs.

Basso still has one-year remaining on his current contract and has been linked with Middlesbrough in recent seasons.

The veteran shot-stopper joined the Robins as an unknown quantity in English football from non-league Woking in 2005 and quickly became a big hit – both between the sticks and on the terraces.

He played a pivotal part in the promotion winning side of 2007, after ousting the increasingly inadequate Steve Phillips, as well as the 2008 team that reached the Championship Play-Off Final.

But his recent relationship with manager Gary Johnson was rumoured to have turned sour towards the end of last season and Basso may still harbour unrealistic ambitions of representing his country at next summer’s World Cup.

If his departure goes through before the August transfer deadline, it leaves City short in the keeper department with only two senior goalies (Dean Gerken and Steve Henderson) left on the books following Chris Weale’s summer move to Leicester.