Both Sheffield Wednesday and Swansea City have emerged as front-runners in the race to sign departing Bolton Wanderers defender Ricardo Santos.

A three-time Team of the Year nominee in England’s third tier, the centre-back in question would provide a superb depth option for either club.

Wednesday and Swansea have offered a contract to the player, which if signed would see the transfer occur on July 1st.

Ricardo Santos in high demand

Bolton Wanderers will part ways with star centre-half Ricardo Santos over the summer, but the 29-year-old will have his fair share of suitors.

Santos has made 207 appearances for Bolton within the past five seasons, with 126 of those being made in League One after winning promotion from League Two in 2021.

He was not included in manager Steven Schumacher’s and Bolton’s retained list for the upcoming season, and it is touted that the Portuguese defender might step up a division, to the Championship.

Schumacher said that Santos was a ‘central figure’ at Bolton and that not retaining him was a ‘difficult decision’ – going on to say that he was ‘fantastic since [Schumacher’s] arrival.’

Bolton’s number five ended his stay as a Trotter in a rather disappointing way, struggling with a pelvic injury and being unavailable throughout the latter half of the 2024-25 season.

Sheffield Wednesday and Swansea are keen

Although nothing is set in stone, it seems that Santos’ future lies a division above, either on the books of Danny Röhl’s Sheffield Wednesday or Alan Sheehan’s Swansea – according to reports from Football League World.

Wednesday might be blindsided by the departure of manager Röhl, who is heavily linked with a move back to Germany with Werder Bremen after joining the Owls in 2023.

Regardless, the club’s interest remains high and Santos could become an Owl regardless of manager.

Swansea, under new manager Alan Sheehan, have already lost a veteran of their squad after the retirement of Joe Allen. Santos could easily fill the veteran’s void in terms of seniority, and at only 29 he has multiple years left of his prime.