Middlesbrough manager Garry Monk will rival Leeds United for the signing of Swansea defender Kyle Bartley this summer, according to the Yorkshire Evening Post.
The regional newspaper claim that former Elland Road boss Monk is set to battle with United for Bartley, 26, if Premier League outfit Swansea decide sell him.
The Yorkshire Evening Post report that the centre-back’s value has “risen dramatically” in the past year as a result of the consistency of his performances under Monk while on loan at Leeds last season.
But he is under contract at the Welsh side for another year and it is said that manager Paul Clement will assess him in pre-season before deciding whether to listen to offers.
Former Arsenal trainee Bartley kickstarted his career at Leeds after being on the fringes at Swansea and was a key member of Monk’s side that pushed strongly for promotion before a final-month collapse resulted in a seventh-placed finish.
He made 50 appearances in all competitions, including 45 starts in their 46 league matches, as he formed one of the outstanding centre-back partnerships in the Championship with Pontus Jansson.
Monk was regarded as being key to Bartley’s improvement and could be in the driving seat if Swansea are willing sellers even though he left Leeds in late May and was appointed by Middlesbrough two weeks later.
Leeds are in the market for a new centre-back as their only current senior options in that position are Jansson and Liam Cooper.