Swansea City are reported to be closing in on a move for Real Madrid defender Jordi Govea Merlin, according to Wales Online.

The left-back has come through the youth system at the Bernabeu but is out of contract this summer and the report suggests he might be arriving as early as this week.

It is likely that the 19-year old will be linking up with Swansea's U23 squad, but with his pedigree it is also thought he'll be challenging Martin Olsson for a starting place before too long.

'Jordi' as he likes to be known is Ecuadorian and is described on the official Real Madrid site as "possessing three key qualities for a player in his position: he's skilful, is able to go past a player and has a good shot on him."

He emerged from the prestigious academy under Zinedine Zidane after joining Madrid at the age of 12.

Swansea have already added former Liverpool starlet Yan Dhanda to their ranks, another who is likely to link up with the U23 squad before progressing.

The Verdict

Any player coming through the ranks at Madrid has got to have something about him and Swansea will undoubtedly benefit from that. It's an interesting policy from the Swans who are hunting a Premier League return.

It's unlikely he'll play U23 for long if he's as good as they're hoping though, especially as he'll be unlikely to move abroad for more reserve football.