Swansea City boss Michael Duff has confirmed the club have received a bid for centre-back Nathan Wood which has since been rejected, according to Wales Online.
The 21-year-old has been subject of heavy interest from Southampton, who are looking to bolster their defensive options before the end of the transfer window next month.
Wood only joined the Swans last summer, although it was Saints boss Russell Martin who brought the player to the Welsh club from fellow Championship side Middlesbrough. The England under-21 international was immediately a big hit and made 43 appearances across all competitions in his debut season at the Swansea.com Stadium.
Martin joined Southampton in the summer and is keen to bring his former player with him to St Mary’s, with rumours emerging earlier this week that the former Premier League side had launched a £10 million bid.
Speaking to the media ahead of this weekend’s trip to Preston North End, Duff confirmed the speculation, saying;
“I think there’s a bid, yeah. I think it got rejected. It’s a sign of having good players. If no one’s bidding for any of the players then we’d be useless. We think we’ve got some good players.
“Woody’s one of those. He’s got loads and loads of work to do, but he’s got a high ceiling in terms of his footballing ability and his attributes as well.
“As an ex-centre-half I’ll try to help him as much as I can, and we’ll see what happens.”
The former Barnsley boss stopped short of confirming the approach was from Southampton though, adding;
“I know there was a bid. I’ve read the same Sky Sports News as you.”
“I don’t get involved in that part of the conversation. There will be a valuation of every player. If it’s met, they get sold. That’s the food chain. It doesn’t matter where you are in the football world.
“Unless, you’re a Barcelona or a Man City, or a Chelsea, then every player has a price. Do I get involved in what people are worth? I have an opinion and I speak to Paul (Watson) but I’m not a decision-maker in terms of that.”
Writer’s View
Swansea are not having a good week, with Southampton and Leeds United stepping up their pursuits of Nathan Wood and Joel Piroe respectively. It does seem likely that both clubs could land their targets, although the Welsh club will be working furiously behind the scenes to convince the pair to stay put.
Southampton are armed with an impressive war chest after big-money sales of the likes of Romeo Lavia and James Ward-Prowse amongst others, and they are likely to return to the fold with an improved offer before the transfer window shuts next week.
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