Swansea City’s Zan Viptonik scored twice against Middlesbrough on Easter Monday, giving him 20 goals for the Championship season.

However, the performance will only add to the already high level of interest in the Slovenian frontman, who is expected to be one of the summer transfer stories.

Despite steady gains under Vitor Matos since the Portuguese manager arrived in South Wales in late November, Swansea will miss out on the second-tier play-offs for the fifth straight season.

And with a player of Vipotnik’s caliber leading the way, Premier League clubs will undoubtedly be intrigued. According to recent sources, Brighton and Hove Albion now lead the race, but up to six other top-flight clubs, including current Championship top two Coventry City and Ipswich Town, have scouted him.

However, if the Swansea manager has his way, there will be no race to the top this offseason.

Vitor Matos discusses Zan Vipotnik’s summer transfer plans.

Swansea attempted to safeguard Vipotnik’s long-term future by awarding him a new contract until 2030 in March.

According to Wales Online, Swans manager Vitor Matos has stated that the new deal is not intended to maximize the club’s summer transfer cost, but rather to assure the player’s stay in South Wales beyond the season.When asked about the 24-year-old’s inbound interest, he remarked, “You can’t control the market.” “All you can do is enhance the player. Provide him with a favorable deal to ensure his satisfaction.treating him and his family with care and expertise. That is what we give. “That is what we want.”He understands our project. He understands our long-term goals as a club. He wants to take part in that. He wouldn’t have signed the new contract otherwise.”Of course, like with all football clubs, there is always a market that may be found. The good news is that they must bring adequate funds.

The definition of “proper money” is unknown. Swansea paid £15 million for Viptonik in January, despite interest from Premier League and Serie A clubs, so the Swans could be holding out for more.

In any case, the South Wales club is unwilling to allow the 24-year-old leave for anything less than a record amount, having plummeted back into the Championship, and they have all the cards to make that happen after signing a new long-term contract.

Keeping Zan Vipotnik would be a genuine indication of purpose from Swansea City.

With a handful of extra play-off positions up for grabs, Swansea, who have only finished inside the top ten in one of the last four seasons, will be seeking to become one of the teams that can realistically make the top eight next year.

Having someone with Vipotnik’s goalscoring talent leading the line would give them a fighting chance right away.

The business side of football would see the chance of flipping someone who signed for free from Bordeaux just under two years ago for a huge eight-figure amount as something they couldn’t pass on, and it would allow the Swans to retool and improve in many places ahead of next season.

However, Swansea have dreams to return to the Premier League, and Viptonik will help with that right now, so it’s reasonable that Matos and co. want to keep him for at least another year.