Swansea City are still 'in dialogue' with club captain Matt Grimes surrounding his future, according to CEO Julian Winter.

The 26-year-old is out of contract at the Liberty Stadium at the end of the season and he was widely expected to depart the club in the summer transfer window.

There was said to be Premier League interest in the central midfielder with the likes of Southampton taking a keen interest in his signature, but it was Swansea's Championship rivals Fulham who were the ones making concrete offers.

The Cottagers came in with a bid of around £2.5 million for Grimes but that was rejected by Swansea who believed it to not match their valuation of a player they snapped up from Exeter City in 2015.

Despite the Swans not firing on all cylinders under Russell Martin this season, Grimes has featured in all 11 Championship matches and it's not beyond the realms of possibility that he may still extend his contract with the club.

In a club update published last night, Winter has not closed the door on the player being a Swan beyond the summer of 2022, saying: "There was, of course, speculation surrounding Matt Grimes during the transfer window, but the fact of the matter is that no club reached our valuation of Matt and we will continue to have dialogue with him about his situation."

But he has been a credit to himself and the club and shown a great commitment to training and performances on the pitch which have been of real quality - an embodiment of his character as our captain."

The Verdict

There was considerable admiring glances towards Grimes during the summer, so it would be a shock if he did actually extend his deal beyond its current expiry date of June 2022.

Grimes has been a great servant to Swansea and even if he proves not to be Premier League quality, it can't be argued that he deserves a chance.

It's just a shame for the club though that they are unlikely to receive a fee for the player, but it was up to them to turn down a seven-figure offer just a few months ago.

The power is now in Grimes' hand and January could be a pivotal moment - if Swansea are still struggling then they could be very tempted to accept an offer as it's their final chance to do so, but it would most definitely hurt their fans should he leave the club.