Championship outfit Swansea City are unlikely to recruit ex-loanee Cyrus Christie on a permanent basis during the summer, according to Wales Online.

The 29-year-old was effectively deemed surplus to requirements by Fulham last summer with Kenny Tete and Denis Odoi ahead of him in the pecking order in the first half of the 2021/22 campaign at Craven Cottage.

Failing to make a single league appearance for the Cottagers last term because of this, he was loaned out to Swansea where he became a regular starter and made a real impact under Russell Martin, adapting well to the ex-MK Dons manager's style of play in South Wales.

In a perfect scenario for them, Christie has been released on the expiration of his deal at Craven Cottage this summer, giving them the chance to recruit the Irishman for free after seeing him record three goals and five assists in 22 league appearances during his loan spell.

However, Martin revealed last month that talks between the club and the player had reached an impasse over finances - and it has now been revealed by Wales Online that he's now unlikely to join the Swans again this summer.

This could allow Nottingham Forest and Watford to go head to head for his signature, with both sides believed to have been monitoring his situation ahead of a potential approach. It remains to be seen whether the former's promotion has changed their stance on this potential signing though.

The Verdict:

In the second tier, Christie may have been a good addition for the Reds as a player that can defend and get forward well, also playing for the club in the past and that will help him to settle in as quickly as possible.

Proving to be reasonably solid at the back during the 2020/21 campaign at the City Ground, he also showed his attacking capabilities under Martin and this may have made him a potentially attractive addition for Cooper.

However, Forest's promotion to the Premier League means they are able to target Djed Spence again and they seem pretty determined to get this deal done, with 90min believing that they are willing to break their transfer record to lure the Middlesbrough star to the East Midlands permanently.

In fairness to Christie, he could be a decent backup option for Spence with Carl Jenkinson not in Steve Cooper's plans, Mohamed Drager's future uncertain and Richie Laryea potentially needing to provide depth on the left.

But they probably shouldn't look to start him in the top tier and this is why they shouldn't offer him a huge pay packet if they do go ahead and approach him.