Southampton suffer fresh midfielder blow as Swansea City close in on agreement | OneFootball

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Swansea midfielder Matt Grimes has put an end to all speculation linking him with a move away from the Swansea.com Stadium - with reports claiming that he has signed a new contract.

Rumours over the summer suggested that the midfielder, 28, was set to reconvene with former Swans boss duo Russell Martin and Ryan Manning at St. Mary's, after the boss took over closer to his south coast roots, and taking Manning with him on a free contract.

But, in a shock twist, Grimes is set to prolong his stay under Michael Duff after Football Insider claimed that the Exeter youth product has signed a new deal - which will scupper Martin's plans somewhat.

What does the report state?

The report from Football Insider suggests that Swansea captain Grimes has agreed a new contract at the south Wales club, which all but ends any speculation linking him with a potential move to Southampton to follow former boss Russell Martin.

Having signed his previous contract in 2021 to run through to June 2025, his new deal will likely go on further than that, which would take Grimes to his 31st birthday.

Why is Matt Grimes’ new contract significant?

Essentially, this deal has huge implications at both ends of the English Football League. Firstly, it allows Swansea to keep one of their star midfielders. Having lost Flynn Downes to West Ham last season, alongside Olivier Ntcham over the past two seasons, the influxes of Charlie Patino and Joe Allen with the retention of Grimes means that the core of Swansea's midfield is still there.

Elsewhere, it has a potential effect on Southampton's ability to replace skipper James Ward-Prowse and Belgian talent Romeo Lavia, both of whom have completed moves to the Premier League in the last week. With Grimes a reported target throughout the summer for the Saints, it means they could be forced to look at other targets - and with Will Smallbone out with injury, they could panic in the window with just two weeks to go.

Furthermore, Exeter City could also lose out as they wave goodbye to a potential sell-on clause for the midfielder. Having already earned big money from Ethan Ampadu's move from Chelsea to Leeds earlier this summer, boss Gary Caldwell may well rue Grimes' decision to stay in south Wales.

What has Matt Grimes said about a potential move?

Grimes even went as far as praising Martin for raising the game of every single Swansea player in an interview during the Christmas period last season - which went hand in hand with links down to the south coast.

Grimes said to Swansea's official website at the time: “I feel I am growing as a player all the time, I feel I am getting better with every game and that goes for every player here.

“Playing under this manager I just feel like I am learning something new every single training session and every single day. It really is incredible, the way he sees the game and the way he passes that down onto us.

“If you look at every player in the squad, you can see how much we have all grown over this last 18 months. I think if you consider where we have come from, then to be playing some of the football we are playing at the moment is pretty spectacular.

“We have full faith in each other, 100 per cent. That’s why I was very clear in my decision when I signed a new contract here. I am very happy, there is a long way to go this season and we will see where it takes us.”