Barnsley are hopeful that Josh Brownhill signing for Bristol City is not the start of the break-up of the team that earned them a fantastic promotion to the Championship.

Former Reds head coach Lee Johnson – who left Oakwell for Bristol City in February – secured Brownhill's signature ahead of the Oakwell club, after the Barnsley loan star's contract ran out at parent club Preston North End.

Johnson is also understood to be interested in star centre-back Alfie Mawson and Player of the Year Adam Hammill as well as assistant head coach Tommy Wright. Other clubs are also known to be monitoring top-scorer Sam Winnall, captain Conor Hourihane, defender Marc Roberts and teenage star James Bree.

The Oakwell club completed an incredible rise from the bottom of League One to the play-off final, in which they beat Millwall 3-1 at Wembley, but now face another daunting challenge of keeping their talented squad together while preparing to make the big step up to the Championship.

"We're looking forward to the Championship with real excitement," chief executive Ben Mansford told the Chronicle.

"But we have to remember that Championship players earn £8,000 per week on average whereas the average in League One is £1,600 to £1,800.  That's a huge gap. Though our turnover has doubled, the expectations of the players have quadrupled. We need to be responsible about the finances we commit ourselves to. I hope the fans are up for the challenge of progressing in the Championship because it's probably a bigger challenge than promotion was."

Winger Hammill – who scored fantastic goals in both Wembley finals – has been offered a two-year deal by the Reds, while full-backs Aidy White and George Williams have also been offered new contracts. Young midfielder Jak McCourt has been released.

Mansford said: "Adam probably could secure greater finance than we might be able to sensibly offer in the Championship. But it might come down to the whole package and the length of contract we can offer him.  He's at the stage in his career where he might feel he has to go for the best financial offer but we can counter that with his emotional attachment to our club and the fact that he has clearly played some of the best football of his career at Oakwell. I am just aware that his quality of performance in the last six months may mean there is significant Championship interest in him.

"We will do all we can do and all we think is right to keep Adam, Aidy and George. George has been fantastic in the last 12 months. Aidy, as an incredibly attack-minded full-back, fits the way we want to play."

Brownhill was one of the five loan players Barnsley finished the season with. Mansford confirmed that the Reds are hoping to bring back Manchester United striker Ashley Fletcher and Southampton winger Lloyd Isgrove but not Newcastle's Ivan Toney or Harry Chapman from Middlesbrough.

He said: "Ivan Toney and Harry Chapman have been fantastic for us but they will probably want more game time than we can give them. "Lloyd Isgrove is one we will remain in contact with Southampton on.

"As for Ashley Fletcher, if Manchester United and his advisers are looking at the Championship as the next test for him and want to make sure he plays a lot of football then I would like to think we'd be a really good fit for him. However, I am not privy to what the other 23 Championship clubs are thinking and also Ashley wants to challenge for the Manchester United first team.  His performances for us show that he has every right to think like that."