Championship side Fulham have submitted a new bid 'in excess' of £2.5m to Swansea City for midfielder Matt Grimes, as per Football Insider.

Grimes, 26, is an integral part of the Swans' squad as captain at the swansea.com Stadium, but is entering the final year of his contract in Wales and with interest from the likes of promotion contenders Fulham and AFC Bournemouth, it's feared he will not be signing fresh terms at his current club.

He made 45 league appearances in the middle of the park last season, becoming a key man in a side who have been chasing promotion for the past two seasons, losing out to Brentford in the play-off semi-finals during the 2019/20 campaign before falling at the final hurdle against the Bees at Wembley in May.

But with Steve Cooper leaving, talisman Andre Ayew departing Wales in the summer and a young manager in Russell Martin arriving at the club, it may take a while before the Championship side are competing at the top end of the table again.

Meanwhile at Fulham, Marco Silva has made three top-quality additions in Harry Wilson, Paulo Gazzaniga and Rodrigo Muniz during the summer to add to what already looks like a side destined for the Premier League, but are set to lose Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa to Napoli.

With this, Grimes is likely to be in competition with the likes of Jean Michael Seri, Harrison Reed and Josh Onomah if he finally makes his move away from Swansea, with the Cottagers, AFC Bournemouth, Watford and Brighton & Hove Albion all reported to have been chasing his signature throughout the summer.

The Verdict:

To lose their captain on deadline day would be a major hammer blow to the Swans, so it would be slightly surprising to see the Welsh side accept a bid at this stage of the window.

However, the fact Grimes has less than a year left on his current deal could tempt Russell Martin's side to cash in on him now whilst they have the chance to generate some cash for him.

The Swans have also managed to bring in Liam Walsh and Flynn Downes during this window, so they may feel the sufficient depth in their squad to cope without him, even with the impact this sale would inevitably have on the dressing room.

For Fulham, this would be an excellent addition that would take them one step closer to the Premier League. Not only will Marco Silva's side get a top-quality midfielder to provide competition and depth, but his leadership skills will also come in handy for a side gunning for promotion.

Swansea have already rejected a bid reported to be in the region of £2.5m though, so this is likely to be an improved offer. But whether Martin's side will accept this bid remains to be seen - their board haven't been afraid to accept offers for their prized assets in the past though.