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Swansea close in on striker for Stoke opener, Boro splashing £5.5m on full-back

· Peter Smith · 2026-08-03 · nguồn gốc

Swansea City are reportedly lining up Ross Stewart on a free transfer ahead of their Championship opener at Stoke City. Swansea are hoping to pull off an Oli McBurnie-style trick hat worked for Hull last season and bring in a free agent on big wages. The 30-year-old has been dogged by injuries since early 2023 and only made 15 league starts during three seasons at Southampton. He returned to the fold in the second half of last term and finished with a bang, scoring eight times in his last 16 appearances from February to May. Southampton didn't take up an option to extend his stay on the south coast and his release was confirmed in June. Interest from Swansea, reported by Football Insider's Peter O'Rourke, will lead to speculation about the future of their top scorer Zan Vipotnik, who has been linked with Sporting Lisbon. Vipotnik has been missed part of pre-season with a quad injury. FOLLOW OUR FACEBOOK PAGE! Latest Stoke City news, analysis and more via the Sentinel Swansea are also believed to be making a €2m move for Randers midfielder Ousseynou Fall Seck, aged 19, having lost Ethan Galbraith to Stoke, who they take on at the bet365 Stadium on August 15. Randers head coach Rasmus Berelsen said: "I think a move is close. It annoys me, because I think he was well on his way. But we have to remember that we are talking about a young boy who is in the process of his first stay in Europe. "He has been here for less than a year, and of course there is something in terms of tactics and getting used to it that comes into play. But sometimes a club also comes along with a plan and an amount that means we have to sell before a player has had his breakthrough." Middlesbrough are believed to be closing in on the £5.5m signing of Columbus Crew left-back Max Arfsten as well as Man Utd keeper Radek Vitek, who was on loan at Bristol City last season, and former Stoke loanee Ashley Phillips. TeessideLive report: "Away from the signing of Max Arfsten, Boro are steadily making progress on a couple of other deals too. "They're keen to strengthen at centre-back and goalkeeper. Vitek and Phillips are their current leading targets for the roles. They have alternatives, but its Man Utd and Spurs they're currently in talks with to progress deals. In the case of both, however, while things have progressed, it's said there's still a bit of work to do on both to get them done. "Sounds positive at this stage, however, on what would be two more great signings." Birmingham City are looking to add in attack and midfield. BirminghamLive report: "Blues need another winger and Ibrahim Osman is thought to be their preferred target, while another forward option to compete with Jay Stansfield, August Priske and Vasquez is required with Marvin Ducksch attracting interest from overseas." Brann midfielder Felix Horn Myhre, aged 27, is set for a medical at West Bromwich Albion with a fee believed to be about £3.1m. The Express & Star report: "Influential star Myhre, a seven-cap Norwegian international, has been a key man since he arrived in Brann in 2021, initially as a right-back. From there he has developed into one of the division’s star players and an icon at his club. He has helped Brann claim two league titles, to two cup finals and the advanced stages of the Europa League. The capture of his signature would represent a coup for the Baggies for the man most claimed extremely unlucky to have missed out on Norway’s World Cup squad." John Eustace has confirmed he wants to bring David Ozoh back to Derby County. The midfielder has one year left on his contract at Crystal Palace amid speculation over his future and DerbyshireLive understands that the Premier League club would be keen for a permanent deal rather than a loan. They add: "Ozoh is thought to be keen on a return to Derby where he became a fans' favourite after two season-long loans and was an integral figure as the club finished eighth in the Championship last season." Relegated Burnley could lose midfielder Florentino Luis to promoted Ipswich Town for £16m, according to the Suffolk media. The 26-year-old was on loan at Burnley last season and an obligatory purchase option of about £20.6m was triggered heading into the summer. If the deal is done, Ipswich's spending over the last couple of months would creep up to just shy of £100m. Stoke might hope they are not expecting to recoup too much of that on striker George Hirst. Ben Whiteman has apparently told Preston North End that he has played his last game for the club. He has been linked with a move to Wrexham. Boss Paul Heckingbottom told BBC Radio Lancashire: “Ben told me, told Peter [Ridsdale, club CEO] he has played his last game for the club. He was trying to force a move, which is an issue for me, for the players. “From a performance point of view, we were in regular conversations in the last few days and Ben knew there was a line I didn't want him to cross. Unfortunately, he has and you can't have that." Steven Schumacher wants a busy month at Bolton Wanderers as they return to the Championship. He told the Bolton News: “I think we need two strikers, we still need two wingers and there's still other areas in the attacking department that we want to try and strengthen if possible.” What do you think? Click HERE to join the debate