MARVIN EMNES has spelled out his desire to sign a permanent deal with Swansea City, and called on Middlesbrough to allow him to remain in the Premier League.
Emnes spent the second half of the season on loan at the Liberty Stadium, and signed off on Sunday by scoring his first Premier League goal in a 3-1 win at Sunderland.
The 25-year-old, who has two years of his Boro contract remaining, has informed Garry Monk of his desire to remain in South Wales, and the Swans boss will attempt to complete a permanent transfer this summer.
Having previously turned down around £5m for Emnes, Boro officials will at least want to recoup the £3.2m they shelled out to sign the Dutchman from Sparta Rotterdam in 2008.
It is unlikely Swansea would want to pay that much, but Emnes is hoping the Teessiders do not stand in his way as he attempts to engineer a permanent move to the top-flight.
“It’s always nice to play in the Premier League, and that has always been my ambition,” said the striker, who has scored 31 Boro goals in 162 appearances for the club. “I had a good time with Middlesbrough, and I’m having a really good time with Swansea at the moment.
“I would like to stay in the Premier League, so wherever that is going to take me, I hope that is what happens.
“I had some good times at Middlesbrough. They have been nice to me, and I have been nice to them, so hopefully things will get resolved the way we all want this summer.
“Whenever I have been with Middlesbrough, I have always done my very best for them. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to get promotion. But hopefully they will help me now by allowing me to stay in the Premier League – that would be nice.”
Aitor Karanka intends to resolve a number of contractual issues before he leaves the North-East for a summer holiday, and determining the fate of the Boro players who were away from the Riverside on loan this season will be close to the top of his agenda.
Emnes and Lukas Jutkiewicz are two of the Teessiders’ most saleable assets, and both players will be allowed to leave provided Boro’s valuation is met.
Bolton want to sign Jutkiewicz permanently, although they could struggle to meet Boro’s asking price and match the striker’s wage demands.
Swansea are in a stronger position when it comes to signing Emnes, with Monk’s desire to push through a deal likely to prove decisive when the clubs step up their discussions shortly.
“I’ve had a few talks with Garry, and I was pleased with what he said, but I’d like to keep those to myself at this stage,” said Emnes. “Middlesbrough will have to be involved with whatever happens in the future, and I would imagine that will happen in the next few weeks. It’s holiday time now, but I’m sure a lot is going to happen before we see where I am playing next season.”
In the meantime, the Dutchman can at least content himself with the eye-catching display that helped Swansea see off Sunderland at the weekend.
His turn and strike for the Swans’ second goal was one of the highlights of the afternoon, and his energy and movement stood in marked contrast to some of the more pedestrian outings that characterised his performances for Boro in the first half of the season.
“I’m happy to have ended the season like that,” he said. “It was a tough game, but we managed to win it. I got myself a goal, and I’m really happy with that.
“I’ve been at Swansea twice now, and both times I’ve really enjoyed myself. To play with the Swansea players is something great because they all like to play football the right way. I’ve been training really well, and when I got the chance to play, I think I did well.
“I scored a nice goal and that was important. You don’t get that many chances in the Premier League, so if you get one, you have to take it. I think I did that.”
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