Nathan Wood: Swansea City reject second bid for defender amid Southampton interest

Nathan Wood was one of Russell Martin's recruits when the Southampton boss was in charge of Swansea

Swansea City have rejected a second bid for defender Nathan Wood amid strong interest from Southampton.

Saints manager Russell Martin wants a reunion with Wood having signed the 21-year-old when he was Swansea boss.

Martin has previously said that Wood is a "real leader" and has the ability to go to the "very top" of the game.

Swansea head coach Michael Duff said on Thursday that a bid for Wood had been turned down, and it is understood a second offer has also been rejected.

Swansea paid around £400,000 to sign Wood from Middlesbrough in the summer of 2022 and can expect to secure a massive profit should he move on during this transfer window.

It is thought Boro would also benefit because of a sell-on clause in the deal which took Wood to Wales.

The England Under-21 defender has a year to run on the two-year Swansea contract he signed in June 2022, with an option for a further 12 months.

Speaking on Thursday morning, Duff said: "I think there's a bid that got rejected.

"It's a sign of having good players. If no-one was bidding for any of the players, we'd be useless. We think we've got some good players, Woody's another one of those.

"He's got loads of work to do but he's got a high ceiling because of his football ability and his physical attributes as well.

"As an ex centre-half, I'll try and help him as much as I can and we'll see what happens."

When asked if he sees Wood as part of his plans, Duff said: "He's started every game so far so I think that suggests yes."

Having struggled for regular football on Teesside, Wood quickly established himself as a Swansea regular and is now regarded as one of the most promising defenders in the Championship.

Wood, the son of former Premier League player Dean Gordon, has played 47 games for Swansea, scoring once.

The Swans face a trip to Preston on Saturday (15:00 BST).