Swansea City set to sign ex-Southampton striker Ross Stewart | OneFootball

Swansea City are closing in on the signing of Scottish striker Ross Stewart following his departure from Southampton this summer

Swansea City's incredible summer window is set to continue with the addition of a highly-coveted and clinical Championship forward on a free transfer.

Swansea mean business this summer, with the Welsh club having their sights firmly fixed on a place in the Championship top eight next season.

With Ghanaian winger Joseph Opoku joining from Zulte Waregem for around £6 million, Elijah Just joining from Motherwell for around £5 million, and Moussa Yeo joining from RB Salzburg, the Swans' wing options have undergone a total revamp.

Stephen Welsh has arrived on a free transfer from Celtic to reinforce their defence, whilst a €2 million (£1.7 million) deal for Senegalese midfielder Ousseynou Fall Seck is edging ever closer to being complete.

Portuguese head coach Vitor Matos, who himself recently signed a fresh long-term deal in South Wales, will be delighted with the club's business thus far, but things are about to get even more exciting at the Swansea.com Stadium.

Swansea City are closing in on the signing of Scottish striker Ross Stewart after his release from Southampton

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According to Pete O'Rourke via X, Swansea are closing in on the signing of former Southampton forward Ross Stewart on a free transfer, after the 29-year-old was released from the South Coast outfit this summer.

Stewart's departure from Southampton recently came as a huge shock to those at St Mary's, who had largely expected the Scot to stay after an injury-laden three years at the club, but having turned down a fresh deal, has since become a free agent.

The striker initially joined the Saints from Sunderland in the summer of 2023 for around £12 million, after scoring prolifically for the Black Cats in League One and then the Championship.

However, constant injury woes would drastically limit his minutes during his spell in Hampshire, with just 12 goals and three assists in 50 appearances for the club, with the majority of those appearances coming from the bench.

Now, he looks to continue his adventure in South Wales, where he will provide strong competition for both Zan Vipotnik and Adam Idah.

Swansea City's Ross Stewart swoop provides incredible competition for Vitor Matos up top

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Despite having the Championship's outright top goalscorer from last season, Swansea are looking to provide Zan Vipotnik with even more competition this summer with the addition of Stewart.

The Slovenian netted 23 times in the Championship last season, whilst grabbing three assists, leading the way in the second tier for the most goals in the division.

With Idah waiting in the wings, who himself joined for £6 million from Celtic just last summer, Matos will have a huge decision to make on who leads the line in South Wales when they face Stoke City on the opening day in less than two weeks.

Stewart will not join and expects to see his appearances coming from the bench the majority of the time, and will almost certainly push Vipotnik all the way for a starting berth.

How have Southampton fans reacted to Ross Stewart's Swansea City switch?

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With the news breaking of Stewart's imminent move to Swansea, Southampton fans have taken to social media to provide their reactions to this surprise revelation.

Indeed, Stewart appears to be on the cusp of a move to Swansea following his departure from Southampton, something which Saints fans appear to be shocked about.

It could come across as bitter, though Cyle Larin did have an excellent impact after joining Southampton on loan in January, scoring eight in 16 Championship appearances, and could well be leading the line at St Mary's next campaign.

Southampton supporters were always bound to be disappointed wherever Stewart ended up after he made the decision to reject a new deal, with Swansea clearly being viewed as a backwards step for him by this Saints supporter.

Whether Stewart will be vindicated by his decision to leave Southampton and join Swansea this summer is up in the air, but both clubs will have ambitions of at least reaching the play-offs next season, as Stewart could be a decisive factor in the Swans' chances.