Bristol City boss Gary Johnson was last night understood to

be closing in on a deal to sign highly-rated Ebbsfleet United

striker John Akinde, writes James McNamara.

A host of clubs have been chasing Akinde's signature and

Ebbsfleet confirmed yesterday that a bid had been tabled.

I understand that City have won the race to sign Akinde,

aged 19, after talks with Johnson at Ashton Gate yesterday.

The teenager has scored two goals for the Kent club so far

this season.

One factor in the move has been the need for it to receive

approval from Ebbsfleet's owners.

The club is owned by fans who belong to the website

www.myfootballclub.co.uk, who took over the club earlier this

year. More than 20,000 members have an equal say in the club's

decisions.

But Akinde could be unveiled by City as early as this

afternoon.

Meanwhile, City defender Jamie McAllister is in line for a

return to action against QPR tomorrow after a shin injury

turned out to be less serious than first feared.

McAllister sustained a hefty whack against Crewe on Tuesday

night and was expected to be out for a number of weeks after

leaving the Gresty Road pitch on a stretcher.

Initial fears were that the Scotsman had suffered a

fracture, but a scan ruled that out.

And manager Johnson last night revealed how a sock that had

been taped too tightly made the injury seem worse than it

actually was.

He said: "Jamie is a lot better than we first thought.

"He had a bit of tape keeping his socks straight so when the

blow came to his shin there was nowhere for the blood to

go.

"The tape was quite tight and the blood came up into a

bubble and that frightened us a little bit.

"He has got a chance of making it for Saturday, and we did

not think that was going to be the case on Tuesday night.

"He hasn't trained but is a fit lad and we are hoping that

he will be available."

Liam Fontaine is set to deputise if McAllister fails a late

fitness test.

A win would see City top the Championship table if other

results go their way. "QPR will be there or thereabouts at the

end of the season and it will be a good test for us," said

Johnson.

"They have some good players and we want to show that we can

compete against a team who are going to be up there."

The manager also hinted that it was unlikely that there

would be any temporary departures from Ashton Gate.

"I don't think there will be any players going out on loan

at the moment," Johnson said.

"If something was to come up that I felt was good for a

particular player I might look at it, but I wouldn't have

thought so."

Meanwhile, Marvin Elliott is closing in on a return after a

knee injury.

The midfielder has been out of action so far this season and

for most of City's pre-season campaign. He is continuing his

rehabilitation at Lilleshall.

He is set to feature in Monday's reserve game at Southampton

and Johnson said: "He's certainly on the road to recovery, but

we've just got to make sure that his injuries clear up and they

won't return.

"We are being over-cautious and we've got to be fair, as

he's a vital member of our squad."