Swansea will reportedly trigger a twelve month extension clause in Mike Van der Hoorn's contract in order to prevent Championship rivals Aston Villa moving to sign the defender on a free transfer in the summer transfer window.

The Dutchman has been a regular in The Swans defence this season, but with his contract set to expire at the end of the season, Villa are said to be keen on a free transfer for the Dutchman, having backed out of a move in January having been a £10million asking price.

That plan could however be scuppered, with Wales Online reporting that Van der Hoorn will see a twelve month extension clause in his contract triggered when new Swans chairman Trevor Birch begins his job at the start of April.

[ad_pod ]

Van der Hoorn, 26, is one of long list of Swansea players set to see their contracts at The Liberty Stadium expire in the summer. Martin Olsson, Wayne Routledge, Luciano Narsingh and club captain Leroy Fer are among those currently set to be available on a free in the summer, and speaking about the issue of contracts, Swans boss Graham Potter told Wales Online: "I'd rather not go into the specifics of the players, and there's quite a few out (of contract) that we need to discuss.

"Trevor coming in helps with that as well. So nothing necessarily to report but conversations are happening."

The Verdict

With a number of Villa's defence only at the club on loan, Dean Smith will need to recruit reinforcements at the back again in the summer.

Van der Hoorn would be a good option to strengthen that back line, but it is no surprise to Swansea working to keep him at the club this summer given his performances this season.

Thoughts? Let us know!