With the end of the Championship season fast approaching, we’re beginning to edge closer to the opening of the summer transfer window.
Swansea City have made some fantastic signings in the summer transfer windows in the last decade or so. From Michu, Wilfried Bony and Fernando Llorente in the Premier League days to Joel Piroe more recently in 2021, some real stars have walked through the doors at the Swansea.com Stadium after some top scouting from the Swans’ hierarchy.
However, some of this scouting doesn’t always lead to the player signing on the dotted line and being pictured holding a club scarf above their heads. In recent years Swansea have identified, and been interested in some players who have gone on to become some of the world’s best, but haven’t quite been able to get a deal over the line for one reason or another.
Here we take a look at some of those players and why the deals didn’t go through.
Alphonso Davies
In 2017, Canadian left-back Davies was the subject of interest from Swansea. Davies was playing in his native country for Vancouver Whitecaps at the time and was managed by former Welsh international, Carl Robinson.
Swansea led the race for the defender who was wanted in a deal worth £3million but were unable to complete the deal due to work permit issues. Davies was a Liberian citizen who had gained a Canadian passport and was unable to get a work permit in the United Kingdom despite the fact he’d been capped by Canada at 16-years-old.
Canada’s low FIFA ranking at the time, coupled with his low transfer fee and wages, meant that Davies was unable to obtain the work permit he needed.
He was subsequently signed by Bayern Munich in 2019 and has developed into arguably one of the world’s best full-backs.
Virgil van Dijk
In the summer of 2014, Swansea were linked with then Celtic centre-half, Virgil van Dijk. Celtic wanted a fee of £6million for the 23-year-old after an impressive first season for the Scottish champions.
Swansea were keen to bolster their back-line ahead of Garry Monk’s first full season in charge as they looked to replace Chico Flores. Swansea were one of many Premier League clubs interested in the Dutchman but a move never materialised that summer and van Dijk remained at Parkhead. Swansea did bolster their central defensive ranks that summer as they brought in Argentina international, Federico Fernandez.
Van Dijk finally got his move to the Premier League when he joined Southampton in 2015, he spent two and a half years with the Saints before moving to Liverpool in 2017. He’s won a Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup since moving to Merseyside.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
In the summer of 2013, Gabonese striker Aubameyang was linked with Michael Laudrup’s men. The Danish boss was reported to have met representatives of the then Saint-Étienne striker in London as Laudrup looked to bolster his squad ahead of a gruelling Premier League and European campaign.
Aubameyang was valued at around £12 million and Laudrup, who at the time was being coveted by a number of top European teams, told the Swans’ hierarchy he was willing to stay as long as the club backed him in the transfer market.
Aubameyang instead joined Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2013, before joining Arsenal in 2018. He joined Barcelona in 2022 before signing for Chelsea later that year.
Hakim Ziyech
In the summer of 2016, Swansea were close to signing Hakim Ziyech, if reports in Italy were to be believed.
Ziyech was coming off the back of an impressive campaign for FC Twente in the Eredivisie and was attracting interest from a range of clubs across Europe. Swans boss Francesco Guidolin was rumoured to be keen to make him his first signing of the summer.
The move never materialised and Ziyech signed for Dutch giants Ajax. He remained there until 2020 before joining Chelsea where he remains to this day.
Jamie Vardy
Non-league starlet Vardy was allegedly offered to the club in 2012 for a fee of around £800,000.
Vardy ended up joining Championship side Leicester City from Fleetwood Town that same year and he’s proven to be a revelation in the East Midlands.
The Sheffield native has enjoyed an incredible 11 years with the Foxes, achieving promotion to the top-flight before winning a Premier League title, an FA Cup, playing in the Champions League and earning 26 England caps to complete an incredible rags-to-riches story.
Romelu Lukaku
In the summer of 2013, Swansea were interested in Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku after he impressed while on loan at West Brom from Chelsea the previous season.
Swansea tried to tempt Lukaku to the Liberty Stadium with the carrot of European football, however the move never materialised and Swansea signed Wilfried Bony while Lukaku joined Everton on loan for the 2013/14 campaign, before joining permanently the following summer.
Lukaku left Goodison Park in 2017 to join Manchester United before spells at Inter Milan and Chelsea followed.
David Villa
Perhaps the most audacious rumour of the lot came in the January transfer window of the 2012/13 season when Spanish superstar David Villa was linked with a move to SA1.
Swansea were flying high in the Premier League at the time whilst Villa was struggling for game time at Barcelona. The Swans were managed by Barcelona legend Michael Laudrup and at one point in December 2012, Villa was 1/1 with SkyBet to join Swansea.
Sadly for Swans fans, the Spaniard who won two European Championships and one World Cup remained at Barca for the rest of the season before joining Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2013. Spells at New York City, Melbourne City and Vissel Kobe followed before Villa hung up his boots in 2020.
Marcos Senna
Swansea’s first taste of being linked with a big name came in the summer of 2011 after promotion to the Premier League when they held talks with Marcos Senna.
Senna, a former European Championship winner with Spain, was a free agent after leaving Villarreal and held talks with Brendan Rodgers about a remarkable move to SA1.
However, talks broke down after Senna’s wage demands were too high for Swansea to justify. Senna signed a new one-year deal with Villarreal instead, before joining the New York Cosmos in 2013 where he finished his career.
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