Swansea Improved Bid for Holt Rejected

League One side Swansea City have offered £125,000 Rochdale striker Grant Holt.

Swansea face competition from fellow promoted side Yeovil, who have also had a bid turned down for the Spotdale player.

Swansea tried to sign Grant in February but manager Kenny Jackett had a £75,000 bid rejected, now their improved offer has also been knocked back.

Jackett is still keen to make Holt his first signing of the summer, as he desperately tries to bolster his squad for their assault on League One football in August.

Carlisle-born Holt was one of League Two’s impressive player last season, scoring 24 goals and coming close to winning Coca Cola’s League Two Player of the Year award, and Jackett would like to pair the former Sheffield Wednesday player with Lee Trundle.

Rochdale Jim Fagan yesterday told Rochdale’s website that it would take a substantial bid to lure Holt away from League Two, however Glovers manager Gary Johnson described the Yeovil’s bid as "substantial", however, it is believed to be less than Swansea’s offer.

Rochdale valuate Holt at £300,000, however, Jackett’s budget may not stretch to that, and it is expected that Jackett will make an improved bid for Holt when he returns from his holidays this week.

Holt is one of at least three names Jackett placed on his early-shopping summer list after Swansea clinched promotion to League One on the final day of last season.

The Swans boss also identified Bristol City winger Marc Goodfellow, who has a loan spell at the Vetch last season, and Rushden and Diamonds midfielder Andy Burgess as top pre-season targets.

Holt took his time to make a mark in league football after spells at non-league level with Halifax, Workington and Barrow.

But his career has taken off since joining Rochdale in January 2004, scoring 27 goals in 59 games for the Lancashire club.

While it remains to be seen whether Holt, Burgess or Goodfellow will end up in South Wales, one player who'll definitely be at the club next season is O'Leary.

Following midfielder Leon Britton and defender Izzy Iriekpen, Port Talbot-born O'Leary has become the latest out-of-contract player to agree to extend his stay at Swansea by accepting Jackett's offer of a new two-year deal.

O'Leary was voted player of the year by the fans after a hugely successful conversion from defender to midfielder during the promotion-winning campaign.