Barnsley: Reds set to lose Alfie Mawson to Swansea City

Barnsley are set to lose highly sought after defender Alfie Mawson after agreeing a fee with Swansea City.
Alfie MawsonAlfie Mawson
Alfie Mawson

The Premier League side appear to have won the race to sign the 22-year-old centre-back, with a move subject to Mawson agreeing personal terms with the club.

The undisclosed fee is believed to be in the region of £5m after Sunderland and Wolves both saw bids above £3m firmly rejected by the Reds.

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Speculation surrounding the former Brentford man’s future had been hot topic around the town all summer with numerous clubs interested in securing his services.

Mawson was a key figure in the Reds’ double Johnstone’s Paint Trophy and play-off success last term, and he started this season in the same manner for Paul Heckingbottom’s side.

The centre-back has scored twice in Barnsley’s opening four Championship games, whilst looking solid at the back – with a solitary clean sheet.

An official statement on the Swans’ website read: “The move is subject to the 22-year-old agreeing personal terms at the Liberty.”

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Heckingbottom now has a race against time to sign a replacement before deadline day on Wednesday.

It is believed the Reds have tabled an offer for young Queens Park Rangers defender Cole Kpekawa.

Mawson will be the third high profile defender to leave the club in recent years after John Stones and Mason Holgate’s respective moves to Everton.

Manwhile, Aidy White has been looking forward to facing former club Rotherham ever since the fixtures were released.

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The left-back featured 10 times for the Millers last season before establishing himself in the first team at Oakwell after joining the club on loan in November.

The 24-year-old has since signed a permanent deal with the Reds and has become a fully fledged fan favourite along the way by helping the duel to double success last term.

“Hopefully we’ll come out with the right result,” said White.

“I’m really looking forward to it, it’s a chance for me to play against one of my former clubs. It’ll be a great game with a good atmosphere.

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“I’ve been looking forward to this game and a couple of others since the fixture list came out. I wasn’t at Rotherham long but when I was there I enjoyed myself.

“I came here and got a lot more game time which was obviously beneficial to me but I’m looking forward to the challenge ahead and hopefully we can carry on our good start and get a win.

“I’m expecting them to be a high-tempo side that will press us high up the pitch but hopefully we’ll deal with the challenge.”

Paul Heckingbottom’s side will be looking to get one up on their South Yorkshire rivals in the pair’s first meeting in the second tier since 2001 later today at Oakwell.

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Barnsley have the bragging rights in recent times and are unbeaten in the tasty derby since way back in 1982 and White is hoping the Reds can carry on the tradition.

The match has captivated the town over the past week with neighbours and friends bickering with one another.

One fan tweeted that he would run through the town centre naked if the Reds finished above the Millers this season, and head coach Heckingbottom believes rivalries like this are great for the game.

The Reds beat Rotherham in an off the field battle as they won the race to sign striker Tom Bradshaw earlier this summer.

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He said: “It adds a little bit extra, we get the same press coverage, similar fans, fans that live next door to each other.

“Tom Bradshaw’s just one that got out there in the media. You always tend to be in for similar players with the same clubs all the time.

“Location wise, fans and things like that probably mean we know what each other are doing a lot more.”