Swansea City chairman Huw Jenkins has vowed to keep the door open for a Joe Allen return for as long as possible.

The midfielder, who left the Liberty Stadium to join Liverpool in 2012, has endured a mixed time on Merseyside, with his future suddenly unclear just as his performances have seen him start to really impress manager Jürgen Klopp.

Via Jenkins, Swansea already confirmed their interest in signing him earlier this summer, while Stoke City are reported to have submitted a bid for the Welshman this week too.

However, Klopp has made it clear that he rates Allen highly, making his future even more uncertain in this transfer window.

Will he stay or will he go?

Speaking to the South Wales Evening Post, Jenkins confirmed that there have been discussions with Liverpool regarding their current and Swansea's former man, but with the player himself away, there's still little clarity regarding his future.

Furthermore, as well as Allen being away on holiday after his excellent exploits with Wales at Euro 2016, the Swans' chairman acknowledged that his club don't necessarily need a midfielder at the moment, with other areas of the squad requiring key attention instead.

"Over the next week or 10 days things may move on," he said regarding an Allen return, before adding: "But we must remember we have a full complement of midfield players as it is."

Swansea signed Leroy Fer earlier this window and already have Leon Britton, Ki Sung-Yueng, Jack Cork and Gylfi Sigurdsson all on the books.

The former two have both being linked with moves away from the club, more to do with Swansea wanting them to leave, while the latter has been rumoured to have caught the eyes of plenty after a splendid season - interest the Welsh side will hope to stave off.

Still, a quality player like Allen would always improve the options at Francesco Guidolin's disposal, while a return to his native South Wales would certainly appease the fans.

A fresh-faced Joe Allen in action for Swansea. (Photo: Nick Potts/PA)
A fresh-faced Joe Allen in action for Swansea. (Photo: Nick Potts/PA)

"Timing is the thing with Joe," said Jenkins. "Whether it's now or in the future it needs to be the time that suits us and we'll have to wait and see if things happen on that front."

Whether or not the timing suits Swansea right now given their strong squad, the price is another factor. Despite having just a year left on his contract, Allen is reported to have drawn a £13 million bid from Stoke.

"It's a high valuation," said Jenkins. "But the market has gone that way."

Given that Swansea parted with their midfield maestro for just £15 million four years ago though, getting him back as he enters his prime for a figure just below that wouldn't be a terrible bit of business by any means.

Allen might not move this window; he might renew his Liverpool contract and remain at Anfield to be part of Klopp's revolution. On the other hand, he might leave and not even rejoin Swansea, starting a new chapter at a new club.

Either way, it's clear that Jenkins is going to do everything he can to ensure there is a potential route for him back to the Liberty, saying: "We're still in the hunt. Joe is one of our players and we'll keep that open for as long as we can."

VAVEL Logo
About the author
Ameé Ruszkai
Head of the Sunderland, Swansea City and women football sections at VAVEL UK. Email: [email protected]