These are your Swansea City headlines on Saturday, July 16.
Laird could leave on loan, admits Ten Hag
Former Swansea loan man Ethan Laird could be loaned out again for the upcoming season, new Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has admitted.
Laird spent the first half of last season with Swansea, impressing with his swashbuckling displays from right wingback. But his stay in south Wales was cut short, with the youngster heading to the south coast of England and Bournemouth for the remainder of the campaign in January.
Injury meant he wasn't able to have the same impact with the Cherries as he did with Swansea, and now back at United, the defender's future is up in the air. Laird featured in the second half of United's 4-1 friendly win over Melbourne Victory on Friday, and ten Hag spoke about his and team-mate Tahith Chong's futures after the match.
READ MORE: What happened in Swansea City's final behind-closed-doors friendly no-one saw against Bristol Rovers
"That's why we took them with us," he said of their impressive performances. "I want to have an impression from all the players and give them the chance to show what they're capable of.
"If they can contribute, maybe to Man United or a loan period is better. There are also other possibilities. It's good that United have some talents, but we need improvement and we need development."
Swansea remain in the market for a right wingback this summer.
Harness signs for Tractor Boys
Swansea-linked man Marcus Harness has joined Ipswich Town in a permanent deal.
The former Portsmouth winger has been continually mentioned as a Swansea target for the past few months, with Pompey boss Danny Cowley interested in a number of strikers on the books in SA1, including Liam Cullen, Morgan Whittaker and Kyle Joseph, prompting suggestions of a possible swap deal.
Swansea were believed to have held interest in Harness but a concrete offer never materialised, and he has now moved on to Portman Road.
Cowley said: "We’re sad to say goodbye to Marcus, who was a key player for us last season – both with his goals and assists.
"He’s someone who I think has Championship quality, but ultimately it was the right time for him to move on. And with only a year left on his contract, it makes good business sense for us and gives us some flexibility in further developing our squad.
"I’m sure all our supporters will join me in wishing Marcus the very best for his career and we appreciate his efforts in a Pompey shirt."
Downes deal sealed my return - Allen
Joe Allen says the fast pace of Flynn Downes' departure to West Ham United accelerated his own return to Swansea.
The Hammers steamed in to pip Crystal Palace to Downes' signature earlier this month in a deal worth up to £14million for Swansea, including add-ons.
The fee banked for the midfielder loosened the pursestrings to allow Martin to bring in his number-one summer target in Allen, with his second debut in a Swansea shirt now not too far away as he recovers from a hamstring injury.
He said: "There was a big focus for me with Wales in the summer and I had a few issues. We had a huge game against Ukraine and I didn’t really think about my club future until after that.
"Thankfully, the interest was still there. There were still things to be worked out on the business side of things, but the thing that really accelerated the deal was the interest in Flynn Downes. When his deal was going ahead, it opened the door for me to make a return."
You can read the full interview with Allen here.
Smith completes Rams move
Korey Smith has signed for League One side Derby County on a free transfer.
The midfielder has penned a two-year deal at Pride Park following his release by Swansea earlier this summer.
Smith is the eleventh new addition to Derby’s squad inside the last two weeks, following the arrivals of Joe Wildsmith, Tom Barkhuizen, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, James Chester, Conor Hourihane, David McGoldrick, Haydon Roberts, James Collins, Scott Loach and Kwaku Oduroh.
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