Lincoln City backed to strike seven-figure transfer deal after "insulting" Swansea City bid | OneFootball

FLW's Lincoln City fan pundit has given his reaction to reports that Swansea City are close to agreeing a deal for midfielder Ethan Erhahon.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Swansea City are reportedly closing in on a deal to sign highly-rated Lincoln City midfielder Ethan Erhahon.

That's according to journalist Alan Nixon, who claims that Swansea are leading the race for Erhahon, with the Welsh outfit hoping to agree a fee of over £1 million plus add-ons for the 24-year-old.

The Swans were said to have made a bid of £600,000 for Erhahon last month, but that was firmly rejected by Lincoln, with director of football Jez George stating that the midfielder's agent and his suitors are "very aware of the number" the club are looking for.

It has been a busy start to the summer for Swansea, who have already signed winger Zeidane Inoussa from BK Hacken for a reported fee of £5.1 million, as well as bringing in striker Bobby Wales from Kilmarnock, and Erhahon's potential arrival could see the club allow Jay Fulton to make the move to Plymouth Argyle.

Erhahon has spent the last two-and-a-half years with the Imps after joining from St Mirren in January 2023, and while he was not quite able to reach the same standards this season as he did in the 2023-24 campaign, he is expected to attract significant EFL interest this summer, with the Swans among his admirers.

Lincoln City reaction given to Ethan Erhahon, Swansea City claims

When asked if the reported fee of over £1 million for Erhahon would represent a good deal for the club, FLW's Lincoln City fan pundit Gary Hutchinson admitted that the income from his sale to Swansea would be a welcome boost for the Imps' summer transfer fund.

"It seems Swansea are finally coming up with the money after their derisory £600,000 offer," Gary told FLW.

"I did wonder if we would actually talk to them again or not.

"It's got to be over £1 million, that figure has never been in dispute.

"The club have always had a figure in mind since buying Ethan Erhahon that his agent and buying clubs would have known about, so therefore, for Swansea to try an offer that would probably be around half the fee we're willing to accept was actually quite insulting.

"I would find it insulting as the player if he's worth, say £1.2 million, and then Swansea come back with an offer of £600,000, I'd tell them to jog on.

"It would be good if we sold Erhahon for over £1 million, it plays into our transfer strategy and gives us some money to spend on our own squad.

"No doubt we'll already have several targets in place, so we'll spend that money on two or three players and hopefully do the same again.

"The long-term model is to be a little bit like Peterborough in terms of churning out players that go on to play at a higher level, it's all part of the plan."

Lincoln City should accept improved Swansea City, Ethan Erhahon bid

After an outstanding 2023-24 campaign, Erhahon was voted Lincoln's Player of the Season by both his team-mates and supporters, and even the Imps' own director of football admitted he was surprised that other clubs were not "absolutely banging our door down" to sign the former Scotland youth international last summer.

Erhahon's standards dropped a little this season, so Lincoln may not be able to get the kind of fee they would have initially hoped for the midfielder, but selling him for in excess of £1 million would still represent good business for the club.

The Imps could potentially wait until later in the summer before making a final decision on Erhahon's future to see if they receive any bigger offers, but they must be careful not to price Swansea out of a deal as the income from his sale will be useful in helping to strengthen Michael Skubala's squad after a slightly underwhelming season.