Your Swansea City headlines on Wednesday, January 11.
Sunderland tracking Gelhardt
Sunderland are among a clutch of Championship clubs tracking Leeds United's Joe Gelhardt.
Swansea are admirers of the 20-year-old, although Wigan Athletic are also interested in the frontman.
And reports suggest the Black Cats - who Swansea face this weekend - are exploring the option of taking Gelhardt to the Stadium of Light from Elland Road on loan.
It comes as Leeds close in on a £30m deal to sign striker Georginio Rutter from Hoffenheim, a switch that is likely to trigger the temporary exit of Gelhardt.
READ MORE: Ogbene, Gelhardt, Wolf, Leonard — where Swansea City's transfer interest stands right now
Trio track ex-Swans loanee
Three Championship clubs are tracking the availability of former Swan Finley Burns, according to Football Insider.
Burns joined the Swans on loan from Manchester City in January last year but made just three Championship appearances under Russell Martin.
However, Pep Guardiola's side are now prepared to send the 19-year-old centre-back out on loan once again for the remainder of the season.
And it is claimed that Coventry City, Bristol City and Watford are all interested in clinching a deal to sign the young Englishman before the transfer deadline on January 31.
Allen impact telling
Russell Martin lavished praise on Joe Allen for adding some much-needed physicality to his side since returning to action from injury.
Allen missed a significant chunk of the campaign owing to the hamstring issue he suffered in the 3-0 win over Hull City in mid-September, although he has made a telling impact in recent weeks since returning from the World Cup.
And Martin expects Allen to continue to have a strong impact both on and off the field in SA1 this season and beyond.
“The players have pressed brilliantly all season, but in the last two games we’ve had a bit more physicality which is something Joe does brilliantly,” Martin told the club website.
“He’s small in stature, but he always comes out of a challenge with the ball and if he doesn’t have the ball, the opposition player is on the floor. That’s a skill.
“It’s something he’s learned over the years because of his size and his controlled aggression. I think having Joe back is going to help us massively.
“We’ve all known all along how important Joe is going to be for us, not just this season, but in the seasons to come. He’s around the young players, training every day, showing them the mentality that they need.
“He’s outstanding as a player. He’s been so frustrated with his time here so far, but I think that will benefit us in the second half of the season because he’s so desperate to show everyone how much he wants to be back here and that he’s the player everyone thinks he is.
“The Burnley performance really helps that because he lifted the whole performance and the whole crowd.
“We have to be conscious of where he’s at physically, because we all want him to play 90 minutes as quickly as possible.”
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Black Cats hoping for boosts
Sunderland hope to welcome back Danny Batth and Corry Evans to their squad for the visit of Swansea City this weekend.
Defender Batth has not featured since his side's 1-1 draw with Hull City before Christmas owing to a calf problem while Northern Irishman Evans has been absent since the Black Cats' 2-1 success against Blackburn Rovers on Boxing Day.
Alex Pritchard remains sidelined with a calf injury while Wales Under-21 international Niall Huggins is unlikely to be involved. Aji Alese and Dennis Cirkin are both absent.
Kick-off at the Stadium of Light is at 3pm on Saturday.
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