Swansea City: Garry Monk keen for Wilfried Bony contract talks

Swansea City striker Wilfried Bony scored two goals at the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil for Ivory Coast

Swansea City are set to open negotiations with striker Wilfried Bony about a new contract.

The 25-year-old Ivorian was linked with a move away from the Liberty Stadium in July, after scoring 25 goals in his first season with the Swans.

Swansea boss Garry Monk is eager to secure Bony's future.

"In the coming weeks his representatives will make contact with the club and we'll have a chat," Monk said.

Bony joined Swansea for a club-record fee of £12m in 2012 and 16 of his goals were scored in the Premier League in 2013-14.

It took him eight games to get off the mark this season, scoring in the 2-2 draw with Newcastle United - Swansea's last match before the international break.

Bony has since been away with the Ivory Coast and returned to Wales on Friday.

Monk will monitor the forward's fitness before deciding whether he will feature in Sunday's Premier League match at Stoke City.

"I assess all the players, not just Wilfried when he comes back," said Monk.

"It's the same for everyone. I check for freshness and how they're feeling mentally."

Ivory Coast are in the middle of their qualifying campaign for the 2015 African Cup of Nations and suffered a shock 3-4 defeat at home to DR Congo on Wednesday.

Last week, scheduled finals hosts Morocco asked the Confederation of African Football to postpone the January tournament because of fears over the Ebola virus.

Ivory Coast are due to play their next Group D qualifier in Sierra Leone, one of the countries where Ebola has struck most severely.

"Our club doctor and everyone will liaise with Wilfried's federation," said Monk.

"It's important to see how the player feels in all this, as ultimately he's the one we're talking about.

"We'll try to support him in the best way for himself, club and country."