SWANSEA City will make a renewed attempt to sign Middlesbrough duo Marvin Emnes and Leroy Lita this week, but will need to seriously improve their initial offer of around £2m for the pair.
Swans boss Brendan Rodgers has been tracking both Emnes and Lita for the majority of the summer, and has discussed a possible double swoop with Boro officials.
However, Swansea’s initial valuation was around £500,000 for Lita and £1.5m for Emnes, an offering that was dismissed out of hand.
Boro are understood to want more than double for each player, and while there is a desire to trim the Riverside wage bill this summer, there is also a determination not to be fleeced.
Nevertheless, further talks are expected to take place this week, with Rodgers keen to make a breakthrough following the departure of highly-rated midfielder Darren Pratley, who has joined Bolton Wanderers.
“We had initial discussions with Middlesbrough a few weeks back, but the figures quoted were a lot different from what we think the values are,” said Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins.
“Things can change in football, and things could change for Middlesbrough or for us.
“All I would say is that at the moment, Brendan is talking to different people and I am talking to different people to see what is out there.”
Both Emnes and Lita have returned to pre-season training at Boro’s Rockliffe Park complex, with Barry Robson also linking back up with his team-mates for the first time yesterday.
Jason Steele, Rhys Williams and Tarmo Kink have been given another week off because of their international exertions, while Kevin Thomson is yet to resume his duties amid fears that his latest injury has aggravated the leg fracture that sidelined him for the majority of last season.
Thomson injured his ankle while stepping off a treadmill last week, and it is feared the problem has impacted on the leg that has caused him so many problems since his move across the border from Rangers.
The Scotland international underwent scans over the weekend, and his participation in the early weeks of the season is already in doubt.
“It’s an ankle injury which has impacted a little bit on his fracture site from last season,” said Boro boss Tony Mowbray. “He’ll be having further investigations this week.”
Thomson suffered a fractured fibula in the second game of last season and was restricted to just 18 starts in his first season in the Championship.
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