The fee Swansea City are set to pay Leyton Orient for Ethan Galbraith - it could be a bargain | OneFootball

Swansea City appear to have beat Charlton Athletic to Ethan Galbraith

Swansea City have agreed a fee with Leyton Orient for midfielder Ethan Galbraith.

As was revealed exclusively by Football League World earlier this week, the Swans became the favourites in the race for the 24-year-old despite interest from fellow Championship side Charlton Athletic, who had a bid rejected earlier in the transfer window.

It has now been reported by Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph that the Welsh side have agreed a fee and personal terms with Galbraith, and there now appears to be nothing standing in the way of the midfielder travelling to the Swansea.com Stadium.

Swansea City agree seven-figure fee for Leyton Orient's Ethan Galbraith

It was revealed by Joseph on Wednesday night that Orient have agreed £1.5m package to send Galbraith to Swansea.

Alan Sheenan's side stormed to the front of the queue after Charlton saw a £1.3m bid rejected last month, as reported by Mark McAdam.

It has not proved an easy deal to get over the line for the Swans, with further interest reported by Football Insider from play-off finalists Sheffield United.

Swansea’s interest is longstanding, having had a £1m bid rejected at the beginning of February this year, so they’ll be delighted to finally have this one agreed.

Huddersfield Town may feel slightly aggrieved as Ethan Galbraith heads for Swansea City

Offers and interest did not end there, with Huddersfield Town another side that reportedly showed interest for Galbraith.

According to Alan Nixon, via his Patreon page, they were planning a £2.5m bid for the midfielder, something Orient were surely aware of, but the player has ended up going to Swansea for a much cheaper price.

With the Terriers in League One, it may well be that Galbraith wasn’t willing to entertain offers from the third tier while he had the opportunity to play in the Championship on the table.

Nevertheless, it shows how determined Huddersfield were to land the midfielder, so it will be gutting that they’ve missed out to a team that has ended up paying a substantially lower fee.

Intense interest in Ethan Galbraith is understandable - there's a lot of hype around his name

The 24-year-old established himself as one of the most accomplished midfield operators in the third tier last term.

He notched six goals and provided seven assists in 42 League One outings, including starts in all three of Orient’s play-off matches, finishing with the final at Wembley Stadium, which they narrowly lost to the Addicks.

This season has also brought his adaptability to the fore, seeing him take up various midfield roles and also fill in at right-back for Richie Wellens’s side a number of times.

Such fluidity to play in different positions as required will be an important trait for Swansea boss Sheehan, allowing him greater options in terms of squad selection and also better cover in the case of injuries or suspensions.

It’s therefore no surprise that Galbraith fielded considerable Championship interest and was almost the subject of a hefty bid from Huddersfield; he is a talent in demand.

With a strong pedigree, having come through the academy setup at Manchester United, Galbraith is now ready to take the next step up in his career.

It seems that he will be doing so at Swansea, who, in light of his performances and strong Huddersfield interest, may feel they’ve bagged a bargain.