Swansea agree record Graham fee
Danny Graham scores for Watford
Swansea City are set to break their transfer record after the Premier League newcomers agreed a £3.5m fee with Watford for striker Danny Graham.
Championship club Watford have confirmed the Swans have been given permission to speak to the 25-year-old.
The Hornets have already rejected a £2.5m offer from Queens Park Rangers for Graham, who was top scorer in the Championship last season with 24 goals.
Swansea’s previous record was the £1m paid to Chelsea for Scott Sinclair.
Graham’s former club Carlisle, who he left in 2009 to join Watford, will be entitled to a sell-on fee as the Welsh club moved quickly to bolster their squad ahead of their first Premier League campaign.
And Swans boss Brendan Rodgers hopes to be reunited with Graham as the pair worked together when Rodgers was manager at Vicarage Road.
The Liberty Stadium club upped their initial £3m offer to £3.5m over the weekend and it is understood Watford have accepted Swansea’s bid.
Graham, who has one year remaining on his Watford contract, had attracted attention from several clubs including QPR and Norwich City, who were also promoted from the Championship and into the Premier League this season.
West Bromwich Albion and Newcastle United were also reportedly interested in Graham but Swansea, who had a bid for the 6ft 1ins frontman rejected at the start of last season, appear to be the front-runners to sign him.
“Watford Football Club confirms that it accepted a £3.5million bid for Danny Graham from Swansea City FC over the weekend,” read a Watford statement.
“This means the player is permitted to talk to the Swans about his future. The 25-year-old striker remains under contract at Vicarage Road in the meantime.”
A Swansea statement added: “No discussions regarding personal terms have taken place yet with Graham who worked under Swans boss Brendan Rodgers at Watford.”
Graham had previously stated he would only leave Watford for a Premier League club.
“I’m contracted to Watford, I love it here, but I’m not going to lie or kid anyone, I want to play at the top level,” he said at the end of the season.
“If that happens, it happens. If not, and another Championship club comes in, I’m not interested.
“I want to be a Premiership player, I’m not going to hide the fact, but we’ll see what happens.”
Swansea are aware of Graham’s eye for goal as he scored in Watford’s 1-1 draw at the Liberty Stadium in March – one of his 27 goals in all competitions last season.
Rodgers is keen to strengthen his strike force, with on-loan Chelsea striker Fabio Borini set to turn down the chance of joining Swansea permanently to sign a five-year deal at Parma in his homeland of Italy.
Swansea’s previous transfer record for Sinclair, whose hat-trick in their 4-2 Championship play-off final win over Reading last week ensured a season tally of 27 goals, rose to £1m after the Swans sealed Premier League promotion.
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/sport1/hi/football/13635099.stm