Phil Parkinson admits he has his eye on “several players” amid reports linking City with rising Cheltenham star Marlon Pack.

After steering the Bantams to promotion last month, Parkinson is working hard behind the scenes to assemble his squad in readiness for League One.

He is due to speak to his out-of-contract players this week and is also seeking to bring in new faces.

Parkinson refused to comment on specific names but the highly-rated Pack – a target for a number of League One and Championship clubs – is understood to be on his radar.

The 22-year-old midfielder’s contract at the Abbey Business Stadium expires this summer and his acquisition would require a fee due to his age.

Pack joined the Robins after being released by Portsmouth and has been named in the League Two team of the year for the past two seasons.

Parkinson said: “At this time of year, there are lots of names that you get linked with and we’re looking at several players.

“At this stage we’re making enquiries and there is nothing concrete yet because it’s still early in the summer.

“We’ve got to make sure that we utilise the budget available to us to the best of our ability.

“Sometimes that means being patient and if we have to wait until the right players become available, then that’s what we’re going to have to do.

“But I’m happy with the core of the squad we’ve got going into the summer. Hopefully I can maintain that and add to it in one or two areas.

“The key this summer will be to maintain the spirit we’ve got at the club and add a bit of quality to try and make us as competitive as possible.

“We’re going into a league with a lot of good sides and a lot of big clubs, so it’s going to be very competitive.

“We want to make sure we’ve got a squad that is capable of holding its own at the next level.”

Andrew Davies, Matt Duke, Will Atkinson, Nathan Doyle and Zavon Hines are out of contract this summer and it remains to be seen whether new deals will be agreed.

Parkinson said: “After the end of the season and the promotion celebrations, everyone went their separate ways and a few of the lads went on holiday straight away, so I’m just getting round to chatting to players individually now.

“Myself and the board sat down and were discussing plans for next season and what we’re going to do.

“I’m now going around the lads and having discussions with them about the future, next season and whether they’re going to be with us or not.”

Parkinson confirmed the Bantams will again head to Ireland as part of their pre-season preparations, with the details of the trip due to be announced this week.