Swansea expect Southampton interest in Wood

Luke Williams expects Southampton to be among a group of clubs eyeing Swansea City defender Nathan Wood this summer.

Saints failed with two bids worth up to £10m for Wood last August.

Head coach Williams says the central defender, 22, is one of a few Swansea players attracting interest from rival clubs.

“Young players playing a lot of Championship football at a decent level will always attract attention from suitors,” Williams said.

“I can’t talk any more than that at the moment but it is fair to say that some players have attracted interest.”

Swansea have long since accepted that Wood may leave this summer, with the England Under-21 centre-back believed to be interested in moving on.

He has thrived since joining Swansea from Middlesbrough for around £400,000 in 2022, making 70 appearances and scoring one goal.

Wood was brought to Wales by Russell Martin, who had also tried to sign him when in charge at MK Dons.

Martin’s attempts to take Wood to Southampton last year failed, but Swansea are anticipating fresh offers during the upcoming transfer window.

Southampton’s hand has been strengthened in financial terms following their promotion to the Premier League, while Swansea are in a weaker position now than they were last year because of Wood’s contract situation.

Wood was signed on an initial two-year deal which was due to expire this summer, but he is under contract with the Welsh club until 2025 after they took up the option to trigger a 12-month extension in April.

Williams conceded at the end of the 2023-24 season that it was “plausible” Wood would soon be sold – and his view has not changed.

“He is still a Swansea player,” Williams added. “But he is certainly a player we are expecting interest in.

“With the contract situation and his mentality at the moment - not in any negative way, but he is very ambitious who knows there’s a lot of attention around him – I am still in the same place [regarding a potential exit].”

Williams says the fact that Martin has coached Wood before will only increase his desire to sign him for a second time.

“As head coaches, you can see the quality of a player on the pitch but unless you have worked with them, it’s very difficult to get a grasp of their personality,” said Williams, who had a spell as Martin’s assistant at Swansea.

“Unfortunately, Russell has worked with Nathan Wood and knows what a gem he is.

“I know there has been [previous] interest, then when we played Southampton [in January] they talked about how much they liked him, which is normal.

“I guess that interest hasn’t vanished, so I would expect them to be at least one of the clubs who are interested in him now.”