Swansea City, Coventry City dealt blow as Rangers front queue for 21-year-old | OneFootball

Swansea City and Coventry City have been dealt a potential blow in their pursuit of Aberdeen midfielder Connor Barron, as a report from the Scottish Sun claims that Rangers are fronting this particular queue.

The two Championship sides are preparing for the summer transfer window to officially open in the EFL, with that procedure commencing on Friday, June 14th.

This will be Swansea's first pre-season with Luke Williams at the helm as head coach, having joined from League Two outfit Notts County in January, where he was able to make some adjustments to his team, with the arrival of Brazilian midfielder Ronald in particular, proving to be a shrewd pickup.

Meanwhile, Coventry just fell short of the play-offs despite a remarkable run to the FA Cup Semi-Final, and Mark Robins' side will no doubt be expected to be among the front-runners in the promotion race.

However, the two second tier sides may fall short in their aims of pursuing a midfield target.

Rangers fronting the queue for Aberdeen's Connor Barron

That's because of the aforementioned report by the Scottish Sun, who claim that the 21-year-old midfielder's ongoing transfer saga has seen Rangers move their way to the front of the pack when it comes to potential suitors, including the West Midlands outfit and Middlesbrough.

Interest in Barron has also been shown from Serie A outfit Cagliari, who, according to a report by the Daily Record in late April, was pinpointed as a priority signing for the club by then boss Claudio Ranieri, who has since announced his retirement from management.

Referring back to this latest update, it has been claimed that if Barron was to move to Italy, a compensation fee as high as £500,000 could be required, whereas the Dons could eventually settle a fee by tribunal if an initial offer couldn't be agreed between the two giants of the Scottish game.

The 11-time Scotland international remains out-of-contract at Pittodrie, and whilst the report understands that he is currently enjoying an off-season break, he could fly back to negotiate with the Light Blues and book a medical.

This could prove detrimental to the Sky Blues' and Boro's hopes of landing the midfielder on a free transfer, but no doubt a move to Ibrox would frustrate Swansea the most out of the three second tier outfits.

Swansea City's long-standing interest in the 21-year-old

That's because the Swans' interest in acquiring Barron's services dates back to Williams' only transfer window in charge at the Swansea.Com Stadium to date, when Football League World exclusively revealed that they, alongside bitter rivals Cardiff City had made offers to secure his signature.

However, it was then revealed by the Daily Record that Aberdeen had knocked back a £500,000 bid from Swansea on Deadline Day, before the publication then claimed in April that Williams' men were plotting a pre-contract agreement.

Furthermore, it was once again exclusively revealed by FLW last month that Swansea were set to do battle with Celtic, Rangers and clubs from Italy, following on from the aforementioned links with a potential move to the Estadio Sant'Elia, as well as Bologna expressing their own desire to strike a deal.

Connor Barron has a pivotal decision to make

The Scot established himself as an instrumental figure in the Dons' midfield, and was on the fringes of Steve Clarke's 26-man squad for the upcoming UEFA Euro 2024, which the Tartan Army kick off in a clash against home nation Germany on Friday evening.

However, the latest update from the Scottish Sun does state that Barron is keen on moving south of the border or across the continent to aid his chances of breaking into the Scotland senior squad.

Despite the interest from Swansea, Coventry and Boro on that regard, a potential move to Ibrox could be a head-turner, particularly as Phillipe Clement's side can offer Barron the chance to feature in the UEFA Champions League, as the Gers begin their campaign at the Third Qualifying Round stage.

No doubt, the latest news will come as a setback to those three teams, but no offer from the SPFL side has been set in stone yet, meaning there could still be a long way to go in this ongoing transfer saga.