Potential barrier emerges in Swansea City’s quest to land Stoke City star

Swansea City manager Russell Martin doesn’t know his budget yet and that could be a big reason why they haven’t made bigger strides to recruit Stoke City midfielder Joe Allen, according to Wales Online.

The Welshman is out of contract at the bet365 Stadium this summer and although he is thought to be open to remaining in Staffordshire, even if he has to accept a pay cut, there were whispers that he was keen on a return to his Welsh roots.

This could have put both Cardiff City and the Swans on high alert for his services, with both sides likely to be relying on the free-agent market this summer in their quest to get value for money on additions.

However, Russell Martin’s side may be in pole position to land him with the 32-year-old previously plying his trade at the Swansea.com Stadium, even coming through the club’s youth system and making a name for himself in the Premier League before moving on to Liverpool.

It’s currently unclear whether the second-tier side will move for their former player this summer, although Martin did cast doubt over this move in the short term because there was no space for him in their squad at this stage.

According to Wales Online though, the Swans’ boss is unclear on his budget at this stage and this is why he may have ruled out an approach for now, with the outlet also adding that the amount he has to spend this summer is likely to depend on departures.

At this stage though, Allen is still thought to be open to a move back to his former club.

The Verdict:

This isn’t an ideal situation if Martin doesn’t know his budget yet – because that will ruin their preparations and their plans unless this issue is addressed and the finances for the summer are clarified.

Unless the Swans’ boss knows what