Swansea City set £5m valuation for defender as Middlesbrough FC lurk | OneFootball

Josh Key is highly-rated at the Swansea.com Stadium.

Swansea City have placed a £5m valuation on the services of Josh Key as fellow Championship clubs, including Middlesbrough, have lodged enquiries regarding the right-back's availability in the summer transfer window.

Alan Sheehan is preparing for his first season in full charge of the Swans having penned a three-year deal to take the reins from Luke Williams on a full-time basis after impressing in temporary charge, whilst a handful of exciting transfer additions, added to the fact Luka Modrić and Snoop Dogg have become investors and co-owners of the club, have significantly increased excitement levels in this particular corner of South Wales.

Boro are also under new management ahead of the upcoming campaign, with Rob Edwards returning to the dugout after a disastrous end to his time at Luton Town, replacing Michael Carrick who was dismissed as the Teesside outfit fell short of the play-off places for a second successive season despite the 43-year-old receiving ample backing in the transfer window.

Edwards is yet to confirm a signing since being appointed at the Riverside Stadium, but it is fair to say that owner Steve Gibson would have to part with a significant sum if they are to land the aforementioned Key between now and Deadline Day.

Swansea City set £5m valuation for Josh Key as Middlesbrough FC lurk

According to Alan Nixon in a fresh update on the journalist's Patreon service on Sunday, Swansea City are understood to have slapped a £5m price tag on their star right-back, Josh Key.

Nixon states that a number of clubs, including Middlesbrough, have enquired about the possibility of acquiring his services this summer.

The defender has been at Swansea for the previous two seasons after making the step-up to the Championship after impressing for several years with Exeter City in League Two and League One.

His move from Devon to Wales saw him pen a three-year contract in the process, although there is an option for the Swans to extend said deal into the summer of 2027, which allows scope for his transfer value to significantly increase.

At present, Key's deal is set to expire next summer, and after an extremely impressive season last time out, Swansea are clearly aware of the interest in his services from Championship rivals, including Middlesbrough.

The Teessiders are in the market for fresh blood at right-back amid interest in Callum Brittain of Blackburn Rovers, although there is danger of that particular deal collapsing, according to Football Insider.

Nixon concludes by confirming that Swansea are picking up the phone regarding interest in the 25-year-old, but at this present time, nobody has met their asking price for him.

Swansea City will hope £5m Josh Key valuation puts off Championship rivals

Whilst £5m is a significant sum to come into a club's coffers at this level - especially one which doesn't have the added income of Parachute Payments - Sheehan and the Swansea hierarchy will hope it puts off interest from rivals, as Key was one of the most impressive full-backs in the division last season.

Despite registering two errors which led to concessions, the defender's overall defensive numbers remained consistent, as well as his output from a creative perspective, which amounted to one goal, three assists and the creation of a further five big chances in the Championship last term.

That being said, Swansea will also hope that, if Key remains on their books, he lives up to the same standard of performance levels, as a decrease would limit the chances of receiving such a high figure, especially if the aforementioned contract extension isn't taken up in the early weeks of the campaign, increasing the risk of a potential pre-contract agreement in January.

Meanwhile, Brittain is still said to be Middlesbrough's number one target at the right-back position, with the player himself understood to be keen on a move to the Riverside Stadium.

Therefore, Swansea