The 21-year-old centre-back was poised to become a free agent this summer, but the Swans have chosen the option to extend his contract by another year.
Southampton were interested in Wood last summer, but all of their proposals were turned down, including a £10 million offer, with Saints manager Russell Martin clearly an admirer of the player after bringing him to Swansea.
While the 12-month contract extension provides Swansea some assurance that their biggest asset will not depart for free this summer, they may be obliged to sell the defender if a high-value bid is made and Wood does not sign a long-term contract with the club.
Despite their unsuccessful attempt to capture Nathan Wood last summer, Southampton may try again this summer as they strive to reinforce their squad.
It remains to be seen what tier they will play in next season, but there is a potential they will play Premier League football, which would undoubtedly entice Wood to St Mary’s.
Even if they fall out on promotion this season, you’d expect them to be in the running for promotion next season, but Swansea are unlikely to be.
Swansea manager Luke Williams’ recent statements should offer Southampton hope that they can sign the central defender this summer.
Williams told Wales Online, “If someone comes in at a certain level and the boy wants to leave, there’s not much you can do about it.” We won’t be able to compete with these offerings.
We can’t say, ‘Don’t leave; we’ll pay you the same. Play here where you’re liked, and we’ll be in a fantastic place.
I don’t believe we’ll be able to hold off any of the major clubs. If the boy wishes to go, the money will be very large. It’ll be almost impossible, I believe.
With this in mind, Southampton should keep a careful eye on Wood and may be able to sign him for less than £10 million, which was rejected last summer.
This is because Wood hasn’t performed as well this season as he did in 2022/23, and Swansea will not want to risk losing him for free in the summer of 2025.
Swansea should trade Nathan Wood if a new contract cannot be negotiated.
At this point, it is unlikely that Nathan Wood will sign a new long-term contract with the club, especially when he knows his old manager Russell Martin is eager to reconcile with him at Southampton.
After his 12-month extension was announced, Luke Williams stated, “I believe the first thing is that the option offers us some breathing room and protects us a little bit. We’ll see if we can speak with him and his representatives to see where he stands.
We want players to invest in Swansea. So we’ll talk about how he feels.
The fact that Williams has stated that they want players involved in the club means that Wood may want to leave this summer, giving Southampton the perfect opportunity to capitalise.
Southampton appears to be the ideal destination for Wood, who thrived under Russell Martin at the end of the 2022/23 season, when Swansea went nine games unbeaten and finished only three points outside the play-offs.
Given his contract predicament and Luke Williams’ words, Southampton may never have a better chance to sign the 21-year-old, putting Swansea in a tight position if Wood does not sign a long-term contract.
