Swansea prepared to frustrate Monk’s pursuit of Bartley

SWANSEA City are ready to frustrate former boss Garry Monk after he made Kyle Bartley his first target since becoming Middlesbrough manager.

And the Swans are ready to stick with the plan to give the returning centre-back a fresh crack at proving himself in the Premier League at the Liberty.

Bartley, 26, spent last season on loan at Leeds where he won rave reviews for his performances under Monk, captaining the side as they came close to an unlikely play-off finish.

It prompted moves from the Elland Road club to take the defender back to Yorkshire – only for that move to collapse once Monk quit at the end of last month.

Monk subsequently joined Boro with the aim of taking the Riverside outfit back to the Premier League at the first attempt following last season’s relegation, with Bartley being seen as an early transfer target.

But Swansea have no plans to let Bartley leave on a permanent basis – at least before Paul Clement gets a chance to work with the former Arsenal youngster.

Bartley signed a new two-year-deal last summer before heading to Leeds with the club hopeful a full season of football could see the centre-back realise some of his potential.

And Clement made it clear in the wake of Leeds’ interest that he planned to recall the 6ft 4in ace with the aim of adding him to his defensive options ahead of a first full season in charge.

Clement revealed he had told Bartley he wanted him back for pre-season, with club chiefs backing the manager’s wish, regardless of the chance to cash-in on a player who has made just 26 appearances in all competitions since arriving in a £1m deal from the Gunners four years ago.

And it is understood that position has not changed, despite Monk’s desire to take him to Teesside.

Middlesbrough face a fight to hold onto highly-rated defender Ben Gibson, having lost Calum Chambers following the end of his Arsenal loan spell, while there are reports of a potential exit for Daniel Ayala, hence the interest in Bartley.

But Clement seems convinced Bartley can be a serious option at the back at the Liberty, though he is likely to want to bring in a further centreback this summer.

Federico Fernandez and Alfie Mawson – currently with the England Under-21 set-up as part of their European Championship bid in Poland – finished the season strongly for Swansea as they successfully fought off the threat of relegation.

But there had already been attempts to bring in centre-back reinforcements in January with questions over Mike van der Hoorn and Jordi Amat.

There are suggestions there will be attempts to encourage bids from Spain for Amat, who struggled last season and has failed to mount a consistent challenge to hold down a start. Swansea are known to be keen to reduce their playing numbers during this window.

Swansea have been linked with a move for Napoli’s Spain international centre-back Raul Albiol, who would be available by matching a £6m clause in the former Real Madrid man’s contract.

Clement is said to want to work with Bartley to see if he can provide the boost at the back he needs and asked club decision-makers to rebuff all interest until then.