When Swansea City decided to bolster their squad in 2015 by signing Matt Grimes from Exeter City, not many of their supporters would have been able to predict just how big of an impact the midfielder would go on to have for the club.
Following loan spells with Blackburn Rovers, Leeds United and Northampton Town, the 26-year-old became an ever-present in the Jacks' side during the 2018/19 campaign and has since gone to feature for them on 156 occasions in the Championship.
A stand-out performer for Swansea last season, Grimes helped his side reach the play-off final by making 48 appearances at this level.
Despite being heavily linked with a move away in the summer transfer window, the midfielder opted to stay at the Swansea.Com Stadium and has featured in all 15 of the club's league fixtures in the current term.
With the window set to open again in January, we have decided to take a look at the current situation regarding Grimes' future at Swansea.
After rejecting an offer believed to be in the region of £2.5m from Fulham for Grimes in August, Swansea have to receive any fresh interest from Marco Silva's side in recent months.
However, Swansea's resilience may be tested in January as this particular window will represent the final chance that the club will get to secure a respectable fee for the midfielder as his contract is set to expire next summer.
In order to avoid the possibility of losing Grimes, the Jacks ought to consider offering the midfielder a new, improved deal as he is unquestionably one of their most important players.
If Grimes does indeed move on to pastures new in the not too distant future, Russell Martin's side may struggle in the absence of their current club captain as he has produced some encouraging performances in the Championship this season.
Particularly impressive during Swansea's victory over Peterborough United last weekend, Grimes completed 93.2% of his passes in this fixture as he recorded a WhoScored match rating of 7.18.
Providing that he is able to replicate this display in the club's upcoming fixtures, it wouldn't be at all surprising if the midfielder attracts interest from elsewhere next year.
However, instead of cashing in on the former Exeter man, Swansea should be doing everything in their power to persuade him to extend his stay in Wales.