Getting a quality centre-half these days is an extremely rare phenomenon, hence when one such player does become available due to any reason, he kind of unleashes a rat race in the transfer market. And especially if he is suited to the lower leagues, then the number of suitors intensify multifold. Something similar is being experienced by Swansea City defender Kyle Bartley.
According to reports, London side Crystal Palace are among one them with new manager Frank De Boer growing desperate with every week to fill the large void left in the central defence by the return of Mamadou Sakho to Liverpool. The French enforcer is being priced at a mammoth £30 million by Liverpool, which looks too much for the side to give.
At 26, Bartley surely has his best years ahead of him and it explains the huge demand he is in as of now. Among the Championship sides, Middlesbrough remain a prime name with their new boss Garry Monk, who has previously worked with Bartley at Leeds United, very keen on getting him to Riverside. Monk’s previous club, Leeds United, where he really flourished last season, are also in the race although they stay behind the top-flight sides in the queue, understandably.
The Sun claims that Palace have kept him as a priority target along with other defensive reinforcements they are eyeing to bring in. AFC Ajax’s centre-half Jairo Riedewald remains a more prominent one. The Eagles were guided to the shore by the brilliant Sam Allardyce last season just when they seemed to cross the divide, and the gaffer surely comes under extreme pressure following his disappointing season in Italy with Inter Milan.
The 26-year-old defender has just one year left on his contract with the Swans and is expected to leave the club on a cut-price deal for sure. However, things might change at the Liberty Stadium fast. The South Wales club has just endured a terrible campaign last term, where they conceded a whopping 70 goals, second only to relegated side Hull City; and following the pre-season tour, the defender could turn out to be a vital option for Paul Clement.
An academy product of Bolton Wanderers, he had impressed enough to force Arsenal to come calling for him, back in 2007. He came up through the ranks of Arsenal’s underage side before he was sent on loan to a number of lower tier sides like Sheffield United and Scottish side Rangers before Swansea bought him in 2012. From there, he was loaned off to Birmingham City and Leeds United.
