Cardiff City and Swansea City are set to rival Bristol City in the pursuit of midfielder Matty James this summer with the pair interested in the available 29-year-old, according to the Daily Mail.

James is set to finally leave Leicester City on a permanent deal this summer with the Foxes releasing him at the end of his contract after a nine-year spell with the club.

The midfielder spent the first half of last term out on loan at Barnsley, where he made 15 league appearances, before joining Coventry in January and impressing with three goals and three assists in 23 appearances.

It has previously been reported that Bristol City are interested in making a move for James during the summer transfer. That comes with manager Nigel Pearson believed to be keen on reuniting with the 29-year-old after they worked together successfully during his time in charge at Leicester.

 

 

The latest report from the Daily Mail though reveals that both Championship rivals Cardiff and Swansea could now be set to rival the Robins in the pursuit of the 29-year-old this summer.

It is believed that both Cardiff and Swansea see the midfielder’s experience in the Championship as a potentially valuable asset that they could look to draw upon next term if they are able to secure a move for his signature during the summer window.

The Verdict

This will be a major blow to Coventry City's chances of keeping hold of James this summer, with the 29-year-old now set to be in-demand and have a few options on the table to consider. You can understand why both Cardiff and Swansea would be interested given the midfielder has previously earned promotion from the English second tier.

James is a player with a lot of experience and also it is perhaps still forgotten about the quality that he does still have. He has experienced some awful injury setbacks in his career, but he showed during his loan spell with Coventry that he is still a quality player to call upon in the English second tier for sure.

Swansea will need to make additions to their squad and this could be the right sort of move to cover for the loss of the experience following Andre Ayew’s departure. While the Swans might also lose Matt Grimes so he would need replacing.

Cardiff, meanwhile, will be wanting to add some promotion-winning know-how to their squad and do need to enhance their midfielder options, so this is a move that would make sense for the Bluebirds.