Here's your round-up of all the latest Swansea City news for Saturday, July 2.
Eagles tipped to land Downes
Crystal Palace are set to complete the signing of Swansea City midfielder Flynn Downes, according to reports.
Football League World say Palace are poised to finalise a transfer for the midfielder, who's also been attracting interest from Southampton and Wolves.
Leeds United have also been mooted as potential admirers, but it's now claimed the Eagles have won the race for this signature.
Sources at the club have played down talk of an imminent exit, but the 23-year-old's future at the Swansea is seemingly looking increasingly uncertain, with the former Ipswich Town man seen as an asset the club can potentially cash in on as Russell Martin looks to mould his squad ahead of the new season.
The club remain keen admirers of Joe Allen, although at the time of writing are still yet to put a concrete offer on the table, with Martin likely needing secure a departure in order to put an attractive package together.
A departure for Downes would potentially grease the wheels a little, with Allen himself believed to be open to a return to SA1 after turning down a new offer at Stoke City.
However, Swansea aren't the only ones to have taken an interest, with Allen attracting interest from a number of clubs both on these shores and abroad.
Swans watching Iroegbunam
Swansea City are reportedly one of several clubs keeping tabs on Aston Villa youngster Tim Iroegbunam.
According to BirminghamLive, the Swans are among a number of Championship sides looking to take the 19-year-old on loan ahead of the new season, with Sheffield United, Stoke City, Blackburn Rovers, QPR and Bristol City among the others to show an interest.
Iroegbunam, who arrived at Villa from West Brom last summer, has had a memorable last six months, having made his Premier League debut at Brighton in February. He was then handed his first start in the win over Norwich two months later, with Steven Gerrard clearly excited by the youngster's potential.
He said at the time: “I think you can see the profile, what he is going to become. He can get around the grass quickly, he can cover ground quickly, he’s aggressive.
“We sent a clear message to all of our academy that if you train well and you out-train certain individuals then you will get an opportunity. Everyday is vital for Tim now. He’s a really good professional, he needs to find his voice and come out of his shell now. We need him to realise that he is a first-team player. He needs to use his voice more, he needs to keep pushing himself on a daily basis.
“He’s got all the attributes to be a top Premier League player, in my opinion. We’ll keep working to develop him, he’s got a real exciting future ahead of him.”
Whether or not a move to the Championship is seen as the right next step remains to be seen.
Martin pleased with new boys
Russell Martin admits he is delighted at how Swansea City's new signings have settled into life at Fairwood so far. Nathan Wood, Harry Darling and Matty Sorinola all started from the off as the Swans hammered Haverfordwest in a behind-closed-doors friendly on Friday, and Martin was clearly pleased with what he saw from the trio.
“Whenever you sign for a new club it’s hectic and intense, and it probably helped that we knew two of them already [Darling and Sorinola] so they knew what to expect and it’s great to work with them again," Martin said. “And Nathan has been brilliant, a great profile and a really exciting prospect for us. There’s loads for us to work on with all the players but I think they are coming into a group which helps each other.”
The Swans are set to play out another three games behind closed doors, before travelling to Plymouth Argyle on July 12 and Charlton Athletic on July 23.
“We’ve tried to step up the opposition in every game over pre-season in order to face different challenges and different tests,” Martin continued. “It suits us being here at Fairwood, we can be flexible with minutes, we can play four 30-minute games rather than two 45-minute games. It’s going to be different challenges and tests and hopefully we step up a level each time.”
Hourihane in Rams talks
Former Swansea City loanee Conor Hourihane is said to be in talks with Derby County over a possible move this summer. The midfielder is a free agent after leaving Aston Villa, but could now be poised to sign with the Rams following their recent takeover by David Clowes.
The Daily Telegraph claims the Irishman, who made 19 appearances for the Swans under Steve Cooper before linking up with Sheffield United last season, is one of several players currently in talks with the club.
Tom Barkhuizen, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and former Wales international James Chester are among the other names suggested.
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