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Swansea sign Swedish midfielder Widell

Melker Widell in action for Malmo's youth side
Melker Widell's Aab are ninth in the 12-team Danish Superliga [Rex Features]

Swansea City have completed a deal for former Sweden Under-21s international Melker Widell, which sees him return to current club AaB Aalborg on loan before moving to Wales next season in a deal that runs until the end of June 2029.

Swansea identified Widell, 22, as a player with long-term potential and were keen to secure his signing before the transfer window closes on Monday night.

However, Danish top-flight side AaB were only prepared to sanction the transfer in this window if the player rejoined them on loan for the remainder of the 2024-25 campaign.

Swansea expected to pay a significant fee for Widell, who came through the youth ranks in his homeland with Malmo before switching to AaB in 2023. However, the fee remains undisclosed.

The Championship club had been working on the Widell deal for some time and felt it was best to finalise the transfer rather than waiting until the summer, when they anticipated strong competition for his signature.

Swansea manager Luke Williams said: "Our desire to complete this deal now underlines our aim to be on the front foot.

"If we had waited until the summer it would have been very difficult because Melker is a very talented player, and he is in demand.

"Technically he is incredible, he is a very creative and exciting player with a strong mentality."

A player who is capable of playing in central midfield or out wide, Widell has made 51 appearances for AaB, scoring 11 goals and registering nine assists.

His move to Swansea is not related to Matt Grimes' move to Coventry City.

The Swans are also working on other potential signings as they look to replace their departing captain and strengthen their attacking options for the rest of this season, with Luke Williams' squad in need of immediate reinforcements having taken only one point from their past five league games.