-Credit:FAW
After several weeks of negotiating, Swansea City are yet to find a breakthrough in negotiations for Wycombe Wanderers star Joe Low.
The Wales international had previously emerged as the club’s top target this month, with Luke Williams desperate to strengthen his centre-back options ahead of the second half of the season.
The club have already launched two unsuccessful bids, while Plymouth Argyle have also similarly had an offer turned down. Could a move still happen? Here’s a full lowdown on where everything now stands. Sign up to our Swansea City newsletter here.
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Are Swansea still in the race?
At the moment, yes. At the time of writing, it seems Swansea are still very much at the table – for the time being at least.
Low himself is keen on making the move to the Championship, not just because of the opportunities that come with playing at a higher level, but also because he feels it will give him a better platform to fulfil his ambitions of establishing himself for Wales.
Swansea certainly still like the player, but the fact Williams is already looking at other options suggests they might well be prepared to walk away.
What’s the hold-up?
On the face of it, Swansea should be in a good position.
Low is understood to be entering the final six months of his current deal with the Chairboys, and there’s no indication at this stage that the club have any sort of option to trigger an extension.
However, due to his age, any club hoping to make a move for him in the summer would have to pay a fee at tribunal. While it’s potentially a gamble, Wycombe currently appear comfortable to wait until then.
It’s understood that because another club has already bid around £400k, Wycombe believe that they will be able to cash in that amount as a bare minimum from any tribunal in the summer. Additionally, should they win promotion to the Championship, they feel they could win a far higher amount still, likely north of £1m.
That state of affairs has pushed the valuation of the player up dramatically for anyone wanting to sign him this winter.
The way Wycombe see it, there’s no point losing their best player for around £400k now when they’ll effectively get that at the end of the season regardless. That detail alone has weakened Swansea’s hand.
In short, Wycombe want to keep Low for the rest of the season, and any club hoping to prise him away this month will need to submit an offer that will far outweigh the number the Chairboys feel will be coming their way from a tribunal.
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What about a player swap?
As much as Swansea like Low, Coleman and co are unlikely to break the bank in terms of finances, and will likely have to be creative in how they structure a deal should they wish to press ahead with their interest.
It’s understood the prospect of throwing a Swansea player into the deal is just one possible consideration Coleman might be pondering, although it’s not yet clear if that has actually been formally proposed to Wycombe at this stage.
Early indications suggest the most likely departure would be a midfielder, although again that feels a mere hypothetical at this stage.
Will Bloomfield’s departure have any impact?
Williams makes a fair point in that the new head coach will likely want to have a say on Low’s future, but the nature of the power dynamics at Adams Park means that Matt Bloomfield’s move to Luton Town probably won’t have any real impact.
In fact, if anything, Bloomfield’s departure may actually push Low closer to the exit, as the pair were understood to enjoy a close working relationship.