7:15am Monday 9th June 2008
By Andy Cryer
MAURICE Malpas hopes he can secure Kevin Amankwaah's Swindon Town future early this week - and insists Scott Murray could still have a role at the County Ground.
The Advertiser revealed Town's interest in Amankwaah last Wednesday and manager Malpas has finally admitted he hopes to conclude a permanent deal before the Swansea City defender sets off on holiday this week.
Town target Murray looks set to extend his stay with Championship outfit Bristol City, after agreeing in principle to a one-year extension, but Malpas believes a future loan deal could still bring the winger to Wiltshire.
Meanwhile Malpas has rubbished speculation linking him with Bristol City's Brian Wilson as he grows increasingly frustrated at a lack of movement in the summer transfer market.
Town's boss remains confident Amankwaah will agree a deal with Town before the summer is out, thus seeing off rival interest from Brighton, but admits the sooner the better.
He said: "Everything is on track as far as we are concerned with Kevin. He just needs to tie things up with Swansea now.
"He goes away on holiday later this week and I would like to think we would get everything done before that. I want to get it done in the next couple of days so it can be announced.
"I am always reluctant to say a deal is done before it is signed because anything could happen.
"It would be a huge relief to get it finally sorted before he goes away."
While Malpas edges closer to landing his first signing of the summer, he is refusing to give up on another of his initial targets, Bristol City winger Scott Murray.
City's revelations late last week that the Scot was set to sign a one-year extension looked to have poured cold water on Malpas' plans but he insists the news does not necessarily kill off Town's interest.
"It looks as though Scott will sign another deal with Bristol City," said Malpas. "But even if that happened lets just say our interest would not be dead.
"It would obviously depend of a lot of factors but there could still be the option of a loan deal further down the line. That would depend on things like who they sign and how pre-season goes for him though.
"If he signs for another year at Swindon, I still think there would be a chance something could happen with us and him."
The latest Bristol City player to be linked with Town is right-sided Wilson but Malpas insists this speculation is well wide of the mark.
"There is nothing in that at all," he said. It seems we get linked with someone new every day but I can say that Wilson is not someone we have looked at."
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