Swansea City's pursuit of Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher may have hit a snag, with the Sun today reporting that the youngster is now of interest to several German clubs this summer as the 20-year-old weighs up his next move. 

Gallagher of course spent a large portion of the current season on loan at the Liberty Stadium, with the central midfielder even commenting in recent days about his desire to return to the Welsh club next season if the opportunity to do so did indeed arise.

However it has now come to light that the Swans could well face competition to secure the player's signature this summer, with the likes of Schalke and Mainz being amongst the potential suitors which are said to be eyeing a loan move for a player which also spent time out on loan at Charlton this term.

A Chelsea academy graduate, Gallagher put in a series of strong displays for Steve Cooper's side after arriving on loan back in January, notching up a respectable six assists in 21 games as the Swans just fell short in the play-offs, eventually exiting to Brentford in the semi-finals.

Quiz: Have each of these 15 Swansea City players scored a league goal this season?

The Verdict 

This latest development will certainly come as a bit of a blow to Swansea City, with the pulling power on offer from the Bundesliga clubs potentially being too hard to compete with for Cooper's side.

Gallagher formed an important part of Swansea's pursuit of promotion in the second half of the campaign and will certainly be hard to replace this summer.

Overall it is perfectly understandable why the midfielder has attracted such high volumes of interest already this summer, with the 20-year-old having been one of the standout midfield performers in the division this term.

However the Swans can indeed take solace from the fact that the player - by his own admission - has said that he would be open to returning to the club next season, thus leaving another move open for discussion.