Championship outfit Swansea City were interested in recruiting then-Luton Town centre-back Kal Naismith but failed in this quest because of their wish to offload players first, according to Wales Online.

The 30-year-old was a key figure in the Hatters' promotion-chasing campaign during 2021/22, recording three goals and eight assists as a valuable contributor at both ends for Nathan Jones' side.

Because of this, the Bedfordshire outfit intended to agree a new contract for the Glasgow-born defender as they looked to keep hold of one of their prized assets, with his contract at Kenilworth Road expiring in the summer.

In a potentially surprising move though, Naismith ended up signing for second-tier rivals Bristol City in the latter stages of last month, a real EFL talking point with the Robins believed to have not warned the Hatters in advance about their move for the defender become it became official.

Nigel Pearson's side weren't the only outfit in the race for his signature, with West Bromwich Albion also thought to have had him on their radar as Steve Bruce looks to make full use of the free agent market, already recruiting Reading talisman John Swift.

And Swansea are now revealed to have been another side hoping to have recruited him along with Burnley, Norwich City, Middlesbrough, Stoke City and Sheffield United, with Russell Martin hampered by his side's preference to get players out of the door before sealing deals for arrivals.

The Verdict:

Naismith would have been an excellent addition for the Swans with Fin Burns heading back to Manchester City - and considering the limited budget they may have this summer - bringing the 30-year-old in on a free transfer would have been a big boost.

If this report is on the money, it's a bad reflection on Swansea's hierarchy who simply had to give Martin the adequate funds to get this deal over the line, because their unwillingness to make moves will only mean they miss out on their top targets.

You can understand the Swans' board not wanting to spend a huge amount on players with Joel Piroe and Flynn Downes not guaranteed to be leaving South Wales this summer, but this was a free transfer.

It doesn't even seem as though they are anywhere near breaking the EFL's financial limits considering the sales they have made in recent years, so the board needs to reverse its decision immediately and start executing moves for free agents ahead of the summer window opening in just over a week.

Their failure to do this will probably disrupt Martin's pre-season plans and that can only be a bad thing going into the 2022/23 campaign.