Swansea eye move for Ayr's Lawrence Shankland

Swansea City are close to securing a deal for promising Ayr United striker Lawrence Shankland, as the youngster has been in impressive form for the Scottish championship promotion chasers.

A number of clubs are said to be monitoring the player, who has scored 26 goals in 23 games, including four goals in a 5-0 rout of Dundee United on Friday night.

Yet the English second tier side Swansea City are keen to steal a march on their rivals, by agreeing a deal for the player, which would see them sign him and then loan him back to his current club for the remainder of the season. 

The race for Shankland's signature will only get more frantic as time goes by, as the player is due to be out of contract with Ayr United at the end of the current campaign. 

Ayr United manager Ian McCall is not relishing the prospect of losing Shankland, but is even more keen not to lose the striker before the season is out. 

He told 'Sportsmail' this week: "We know that clubs are interested and that's only natural given the number of goals he has scored in his time here.  If a deal could be agreed where we can keep Lawrence for the end of the season, then that would be our preferred option."

McCall even suggested that he would be willing to lose money on Shankland's eventual transfer fee, if he is able to stay at the Scottish club until next summer. 

He added: "He is so important to what we are doing here that I'd want him here until the summer, even if that means we miss out on a couple of hundred grand."