Swansea City defender Nathan Wood closing in on Southampton move

Southampton are close to signing defender Nathan Wood from Swansea City.

Saints boss Russell Martin is a huge admirer of the centre-back having taken the England Under-21 international from Middlesbrough to the Swans in the summer of 2022 for around £400,000.

Southampton failed with two bids worth about £10m for Wood last summer, but after guiding Southampton in the Premier League, Martin is now expected to clinch a deal to take Wood to St Mary’s Stadium from his former club.

Wood’s contract with Swansea expired this summer, although earlier this year, they triggered a one-year extension option in his deal.

Swansea have expected interest in Wood for some time, with head coach Luke Williams admitting the player’s contract situation weakened the club’s hand when it came to keeping hold of the defender.

Speaking in early May, Williams said: “There’s an obvious conclusion to be drawn there, that this might be the correct moment [to sell] because it makes sense all round maybe.

“We are not going to be advertising that there is a sale on, half-price, come and get him because he is an unreal player – we love him to pieces.

“But the situation that presents itself [means] it’s plausible that [a transfer] will happen.”