According to reports, Premier League side Swansea City, who survived relegation by the skin of their teeth last season, are now a surprising suitor for Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur target Jean Michael Seri. The Ligue 1 midfielder has been a subject of huge interest following his heroic displays last season with numerous European clubs vying for his signature.
With every passing week, the possibility of Gylfi Sigurdsson leaving Liberty Stadium gets more and more cemented, and it’s time the Swans keep a replacement in their sights. And with reports claiming that they have already made an initial bid of £15m up front, plus add-ons for the OGC Nice midfielder, things look set.
Swansea had one of their most horrible seasons in the Premier League last year as they needed a midseason change in managerial level and a late surge in form to somehow keep them up in the top-flight football. Paul Clement should be commended for his ability to identify Swansea’s deficiencies in such a short span of time and rectify it that fast.
The English manager, however, doesn’t want to face anything similar next season and has already brought in midfielder Roque Mesa from Las Palmas and Tammy Abraham from Chelsea on loan, bringing a balance to their attack. The Swans could score only 45 goals last season, despite having the likes of Fernando Llorente, Sigurdsson and Jordan Ayew and attacking reinforcements were obvious.
Now, the sale of Sigurdsson can leave a huge void for them and someone like Seri will definitely be an upgrade, though the possibility of such a thing happening looks dim. Nice have slapped a hefty £36 million price tag on the Ivory Coast international, a part of the sum agreed between the player and the club of his release clause. While Swansea might not be able to afford it just yet, the sale of Sigurdsson should yield them the requisite finance to facilitate the move.
Apart from that, Nice have just qualified for the Champions League owing to some significant displays by Seri and if the player would indeed move, the South Wales club is a serious step down by all means. The 26-year-old was phenomenal for Nice last season earning some rave reviews for his tireless work rate and ability to find the right pass.
A central midfielder by nature, Seri’s knack of scoring makes him pretty much like N’Golo Kante from the midfield. Seri has scored seven times in 39 appearances for the Les Aiglons helping the side finish in the third position.
