Bolton Wanderers battling Brighton & Bournemouth for Swindon Town player - £500k transfer fee touted | OneFootball

Bolton Wanderers are competing with Bournemouth and Brighton for the signature of Swindon Town full-back Joel McGregor.

Bolton Wanderers are in an unexpected transfer race with Premier League sides AFC Bournemouth and Brighton and Hove Albion for a League Two talent.

The Trotters are currently embroiled in a promotion battle in League One, and it would take a seriously poor run of form now to not at least make the play-off places.

A come from behind 3-2 win over Wycombe Wanderers this weekend - in which Bolton were 2-0 down until the 88th minute - showed their mentality on the pitch, and it's a squad that hasn't been shy of being invested in both permanently and in the loan market this season.

The likes of Ruben Rodigues, Corey Blackett-Taylor and Rob Apter have all made impacts since arriving in the mid-season window to bolster Steven Schumacher's squad, and it looks as though the Greater Manchester outfit have eyes on the future already when it comes to transfer dealings.

Bolton Wanderers in transfer race with AFC Bournemouth and Brighton for Swindon Town's Joel McGregor

According to the Daily Mail, Bolton are one of a number of clubs interested in Swindon Town full-back Joel McGregor ahead of the summer.

The 19-year-old has caught the eye with his performances for Ian Holloway's side this season, who sit fifth in League Two, and hope to sneak into the automatic promotion places in the final 10 games of the campaign.

McGregor made his breakthrough into the Robins' senior side last season after impressing in the club's youth ranks. He was part of a young Robins side which beat Manchester United on their way to the FA Youth Cup quarter-finals in the 2023/24 season.

Since then, he has gone on to make 65 senior appearances for Swindon, scoring four goals. This has led to interest from Premier League duo Brighton and Bournemouth, with League One promotion-hopefuls Bolton also in the mix.

We've seen plenty of big clubs pay sizable fees in recent years to sign young prospects ahead of time, in hopes of developing them into world-class talents.

Whilst some of these players don't fulfill their potential, the ones that do often earn the club who took a gamble on them a tasty profit, and the likes of Brighton and Bournemouth are two of the best examples when it comes to this transfer strategy.

That's why it's no surprise that, as revealed by the Daily Mail, the Premier League duo are eyeing up a move for Swindon right-back McGregor, who already has plenty of senior experience under his belt at just 19 years old.

McGregor has made 27 league appearances for Swindon this term, 14 of which were starts. He also chipped in with a goal in a 3-2 defeat to promotion rivals Salford City back in January.

The Daily Mail also reported that a fee of around £500,000 will likely be commanded by Swindon for their hotshot full-back, who has a year left on his current contract at the County Ground.

Joel McGregor doesn't have to rush his next move amid Premier League interest

Whilst it's always exciting to see interest from the very top level when you're plying your trade in League Two, McGregor doesn't have to rush into making a decision about his future, and can wait to decide what is best for his development.

The 19-year-old has that security buffer of an extra year on his deal, and whilst £500k might be a tantalizing fee for Swindon for a player who is in and out of the squad, they could well command more for him in the future, should he continue to develop.

The money at one of the interested clubs will likely be significantly higher, but game time will be limited. The report from the Daily Mail also suggested that Brighton will likely loan McGregor out should he sign, which would also probably be the case at Bournemouth.

With that in mind, McGregor has the time to make the correct decision based on his best interests, and will likely not want to jump ship at the first opportunity, given he's still working towards becoming a consistent starter for Town.