SWANS: Swansea set to sign former Sunderland and Southampton striker Stewart on a free

Swansea City are set to sign striker Ross Stewart on a free transfer.

The Scotland international left Southampton on 30 June when his contract expired, and Football Insider reported on Monday that the Swans had moved ahead of rival Championship clubs and were confident of agreeing terms.

Sporting director Ben Stevens told a fans’ forum on Wednesday night that a deal was close, without naming the player.

“We’re hopeful of a new signing,” he said. “Maybe first thing in the morning.

“If Tom [Gorringe] can open the budget, there’s hopefully a couple more that will come in.”

Head coach Vitor Matos, also at the forum, said the club’s approach was to sign players who added something the squad lacked, or who matched the quality already there.

“The most important thing when we go to transfers is we try to add something that we don’t have or something that is related to the quality of the players,” he said.

Stewart, 30, would become Matos’ sixth signing of the summer. He has four caps for Scotland and was part of their squad at this summer’s World Cup.

Born in Irvine, he came through spells at St Mirren, Alloa Athletic and Ross County, winning the Scottish Championship and the Scottish Challenge Cup in 2018-19 in Dingwall, before Sunderland signed him in 2021.

He was prolific on Wearside, scoring 40 goals in 81 appearances as Sunderland won the EFL Trophy in 2021 and climbed out of League One a year later.

That form took him to Southampton in 2023, where injuries limited him to 12 goals in 50 appearances.

There were signs last season that the old threat was intact. Stewart scored eight goals in only 11 Championship starts, a return that explains the interest in him this summer.

If completed, the move gives Matos an embarrassment of options in attack.

Zan Vipotnik was the Championship’s leading scorer last season with 23 goals, while Adam Idah joined from Celtic for a reported £6m last summer, and Joseph Opoku arrived from Zulte Waregem last month.

Vipotnik has been the subject of transfer speculation this summer, though the club’s position has been that his situation is unchanged.

Stewart would follow Tiago Parente, the Benfica left-back who joined on loan on Monday, through the door at the Swansea.com Stadium.

Money has gone out as well as in. Ethan Galbraith was sold to Stoke City in an eight-figure deal at the end of June, while three Wales internationals have left in Liam Cullen, Cameron Congreve and Ollie Cooper.

Swansea open their season against Birmingham City in the Carabao Cup at the Swansea.com Stadium on Saturday, before travelling to Stoke in the Championship a week later.

Neither club had confirmed the move at the time of writing.