The transfer silly season is always contextual and it appears English Championship Swansea City are more than willing to play that game with Rangers-linked striker Joel Piroe.
Whilst the Gers interest has never materialised into anything concrete, there have been murmurs aplenty surrounding potential Ibrox interest from way back in March.
And whilst there was talk then that Swansea might’ve at one point valued the 23-year-old striker at £20m, the fact Joel Piroe is about to enter the final year of his deal had most assuming this would no longer be the case.
But fear not Rangers fans as – according to Sky Sports at least – Swansea still want to bank a whopping £20m for the Dutchman despite the fact he could leave for nothing in 12 months.
In perhaps one of the most brazen acts of transfer window brashness, the Swans are reportedly hoping to bank the big bucks when it comes to a player whose 41 goals in 88 Championship games have done little to boost Swansea’s middling second tier status.
Swansea demand big bucks for Joel Piroe
According to Sky Sports, Swansea are basing their bold valuation on the fee attached to Swedish international striker Viktor Gyokeres, another once mooted for Ibrox, who has moved to Sporting Lisbon.
The Portuguese outfit have reportedly broken the bank to sign Gyokeres from English Championship Coventry City, paying a cool £18.5m to bring the striker to Lisbon.
Whilst Swansea might hope to use the fee as a reference, the fact Coventry got to the Championship playoff final last season suggests the Swede is perhaps a little more primed for the big time.
But when it comes to Rangers, both these eyewatering fees suggest that whilst reports have linked both players to Ibrox, there appears to have never been any genuine chance a move would ever materialise for either.
The news also comes amid reports of Premier League interest in Joel Piroe, with Nottingham Forest the latest side said to be monitoring the Swansea striker.
With current City Ground sporting director Ross Wilson having previously been tighter than two coats of paint at Rangers, we suspect there will be an email telling Swansea exactly where to go when it comes to Joel Piroe!
