Coventry City & Ipswich Town face fresh threat for Swansea City star Zan Vipotnik | OneFootball

The Championship's top scorer remains a man in-demand heading towards the summer

Swansea City's season has been one of extremely mixed returns, with Vitor Matos set to undergo his first pre-season at the Swansea.Com Stadium after he replaced Alan Sheehan in the dugout last November.

Given the fact that Matos' became the Swans' third manager of 2025 with his arrival, it perhaps is no surprise that the South Wales side are set for a mid-table finish in this season's Championship, with the hope they can kick on in the future towards the play-off positions under the former Liverpool coach.

With that being said, there have been encouraging signs from the Portuguese's side in recent weeks, as they have taken five points from the nine available after the campaign's final international break, with a 1-0 victory against relegation-threatened Leicester City at the King Power Stadium last time out following up rather entertaining draws against Sheffield United and Middlesbrough over Easter.

As a result, Swansea are now 14th in the second tier standings with four matches to play, having accumulated 57 points so far, meaning their play-off hopes were effectively ended some time ago, even though they theoretically could still earn a higher points total than Hull City.

It has also been a mixed season in terms of goals scored and conceded for the Swans, as they have netted just 50 times in their 42 matches played to date, with Leicester even having a higher number to their name despite sitting in the relegation zone.

As such, it begs the question as to how the Welsh club's campaign would have unfolded without the feats of Slovenian striker, Zan Vipotnik, albeit that is a situation that is very much becoming real in the minds of some ahead of next season, with another club now entering the race for his signature.

Benfica hand Coventry City and Ipswich Town fresh threat in the race for Swansea City hotshot Zan Vipotnik

With just four matches to go, the 23-year-old and 24-time Slovenian international remains the Championship's outright leading marksman, having netted 21 goals in 40 appearances.

And, it has now emerged that Portuguese giants, Benfica, are plotting a potential move for Vipotnik's services, with the summer transfer window just a matter of weeks away.

That's according to Glorioso 1904 - an outlet associated with the Lisbon club - although it has been claimed that the side managed by ex-Chelsea and Manchester United boss, José Mourinho, may only sign Vipotnik on one clear condition.

The striker is said to have a profile which satisfies Mourinho, given his prowess in front of goal for the Swans and beforehand with the likes of Bordeaux and NK Maribor - where he was managed by Hull boss, Sergej Jakirovic.

However, it has been stated that Benfica are unwilling to invest a large sum of money into this potential transfer, given the fact Vipotnik is plying his trade in the Championship.

This comes after a previous report from Football Insider, who claimed that Swansea had placed a £15m valuation on their prized asset amid interest from the likes of Coventry City, Ipswich Town and Leeds United.

European football could potentially lure Swansea City's Zan Vipotnik to Benfica

At this stage of the season, Vipotnik has showcased that he is a cut above many divisional colleagues in the striking department, and it is no real surprise that a plethora of clubs are continuing to monitor his situation.

That said, the Swans are clearly in a strong position when it comes to bargaining power, having agreed a new contract with the forward until the summer of 2030 last month, meaning they could even command more than the valuation they have reportedly set, whilst Matos has made his feelings on the situation extremely clear.

However, Benfica's interest in Vipotnik could prove detrimental to the likes of Coventry and Ipswich, especially when factoring in the chance to feature in European competition next season, with 'O Glorioso' currently third in Liga Portugal on 69 points despite not losing a league match so far this season, which would guarantee them a minimum spot in the UEFA Europa League qualifying rounds.