Swansea City chief delivers Harry Darling contract update as Norwich City enter race
Swansea City defender Harry Darling is out of contract in SA1 this summer
Director of football Richard Montague says Swansea City remain hopeful Harry Darling will sign a new deal with the club – but admits they are planning for the possibility of an exit this summer.
Darling is coming to the end of his current deal with the Swans, and recently received an improved offer from the club, who are clearly keen on keeping him at the Swansea.com Stadium.
Norwich City are now understood to be admirers of the centre-back, while Sheffield United, Wrexham and Birmingham City are all believed to have been monitoring developments closely this summer.
Reports in Scotland have also now claimed that former boss Russel Martin might be tempted to make a move for the 25-year-old, who’s yet to offer any indication over where his future may now lie.
Montague admits he’s not sure what will come next, but says there are plans in place in regards to searching for alternatives, which perhaps suggests confidence of striking a deal could now be waning.
“The ball is very much in Harry’s court,” Montague said. “We made him what we thought was a very strong offer and I believe he would think is a very strong offer.
We are, and have been throughout the whole period, looking at our other options in that position to make sure we are well covered.
“Our job really has been to balance off the chances of Harry signing a contract with other players, trying to match up those timelines to make sure we are not caught short.
“I don’t think we are going to be caught short, is what I would say.”
Asked if there was still hope Darling might be convinced to stay, he added: “That would be great. But it’s our job to try to be prepared for every eventuality and I wouldn’t say with any confidence what he is going to do.”
This is a saga that has, of course, been rumbling on for months, and Swansea have now indicated there will soon come a point where they move on from negotiations.
“Absolutely. Of course there is [a point where we have to move on],” Montague added when quizzed on that point. “I think we have communicated that internally and to Harry and his representatives.”
Should Darling choose to move on, it would clearly weaken Swansea’s centre-back options ahead of the new season, but Montague says they remain confident the squad will emerge from this window stronger, regardless of the defender’s decision.
“I would like to think regardless of the outcome there, we can finish as a stronger unit than when we went into the window,” he said.
“If Harry Darling chooses to leave, he is an exceptional Championship defender, but we need to be abl
