Exclusive: QPR, Preston & Portsmouth eyeing Swansea City star | OneFootball

Could Vitor Matos have another big transfer decision to make this summer?

A Swansea City star is wanted by a handful of clubs as he enters the final year of his contract, Football League World can exclusively reveal.

The Swans will be looking to kick on in 2026-27 under the guidance of Vitor Matos, who took on just the second head coach role of his career when replacing Alan Sheehan in the Swansea.com Stadium dugout, having been headhunted from Maritimo in Portugal after just five months in the role.

A former assistant to Jurgen Klopp, Matos took over at the Swans when they were sitting in 20th position in the Championship, but a steady increase in form across the remaining five-and-a-half months of the campaign saw them rise to 11th - the expanded play-offs will very much be in their sights for next season.

There's been plenty of talk of some of Swansea's stars departing South Wales though - Championship Golden Boot winner Zan Vipotnik is said to be a wanted man, whilst FLW exclusively broke the news recently that West Ham are eyeing up a move for Northern Ireland international midfielder Ethan Galbraith, who has snubbed a new contract offer with City.

Whilst no moves out of Swansea have materialised yet, another player from the club is attracting interest from elsewhere in the Championship, with a big decision needed over his future this summer.

Swansea City's Josh Key eyed up by Championship trio

FLW understands that City right-back Josh Key is wanted by a plethora of second tier rivals, with Preston North End, Portsmouth and QPR all keen on the 26-year-old.

Key had a one-year option clause triggered last year to extend his contract into 2027, but his current deal's status means that he is heading into his final year at Swansea come the start of July.

Signed from Exeter City in 2023, Key was a regular starter in his first two seasons at Swansea when he was fit and available, appearing 74 times in the Championship in that period, but after beginning the most recent campaign in Sheehan's starting 11, he found regular game-time harder to come by under Matos, who often preferred to use the aforementioned Galbraith in that role.

Nevertheless, Key still racked up 30 league outings in 2025-26, scoring twice, but there is significant interest in his services at the start of the summer transfer window.

Three of Swansea's rivals who finished below them and will all be looking to push up the table in QPR, Portsmouth and Preston have a close eye on Key's situation at Swansea, and the trio could look to take advantage of his expiring contract situation next year to try and get a deal done.

QPR are lacking in the right-back area, with Julien Stephan playing natural centre-back Amadou Mbengue in that position for the majority of the second half of the season, and his understudy being Australian youngster Kealey Adamson.

Portsmouth and Preston however do have a decent amount of cover in that area, with Terry Devlin and Jordan Williams as under-contract options for Pompey, whilst Pol Valentin, Odel Offiah and Brad Potts are options at right-back or wing-back for the Lilywhites.