Championship outfit Swansea City could generate as much as £14m from the sale of Flynn Downes to West Ham United, according to Wales Online journalist Ian Mitchelmore.

The 23-year-old was not short of interest from several Premier League sides this summer, with Crystal Palace, Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers all being linked with a move for the former Ipswich Town star.

Leeds United were also believed to be in the race for his signature, though no contact was made by Jesse Marsch's side as they seemingly set their sights away from the EFL in their quest to secure a replacement for Kalvin Phillips, also snubbing Lewis O'Brien.

 

 

Despite this interest and the fact the 23-year-old only joined last summer, still having plenty of time left on his previous deal at the Swansea.com Stadium, the Daily Mail previously reported that he could have been available for as little as £8m.

It has now been claimed by reporter Mitchelmore that the Swans have accepted an initial £9m for his services - but could earn a further £5m from add-ons in the future as they look set to benefit from this sale beyond this window.

Ipswich, however, are entitled to a small chunk of the money from this sale due to the fact they inserted a sell-on clause into this agreement when he arrived in South Wales last year.

The Verdict:

Considering they managed to lure him away from Ipswich for around £1.5m, many people would count this move to West Ham as a very good deal for the Swans.

However, not being able to receive an eight-figure fee up front for one of their most integral players is a small blow and you wonder whether Russell Martin's side could have pushed for a higher amount, even if they received less via add-ons.

But the one good thing about this agreement from Swansea's point of view is the fact they have managed to sell him reasonably early on this summer and that will enable Martin to recruit a replacement and potentially have a bigger transfer budget.

It will also benefit the players because it will allow them to become accustomed to playing without a former key first-teamer, giving them the best chance of making a fast start to the 2022/23 campaign.

Not only this - but the club could potentially end up retaining some of their other prized assets in Joel Piroe and Michael Obafemi because of this sale - so this loss could turn out to be a positive for the long term.