Swansea City make move for World Cup star in fight with Celtic

Just has emerged as a transfer target for several clubs following an impressive showing at this summer's World Cup, where he scored three goals in as many games for New Zealand. His trio of group stage strikes - including a brace against Iran in their opening game of the tournament - saw him become his country's all-time leading World Cup goalscorer, with clubs around the world taking notice.

Our sister title, the Daily Record, reports that Swansea have already declared their interest to the 26-year-old and his camp, stepping up their interest in the past 48 hours.

With Swans boss Vitor Matos reportedly viewing Just as a top summer priority, the Championship side are said to be keen to "cut a quick deal" amid significant interest in the playmaker from elsewhere.

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Follow Wales Online’s Swansea City FB page for more news and analysis

Celtic are among a number of other clubs targeting the Motherwell star, while Toulouse are also believed to be interested.

Just is heading into the final year of his contract at Fir Park but, but Motherwell have the option of extending his deal for a further 12 months.

The Daily Record reports that a "significant" seven-figure bid will be required if the Swans are to convince Motherwell to sell the Kiwi international.

After arriving as a relative unknown from Danish side Horsens last summer, Just was a standout performer for Motherwell as they finished fourth in the Scottish Premiership and qualified for Europe.

His fine performances - which saw him score seven goals and register eight assists in the league - led him to be shortlisted for the player of the year award.

Swansea's step-up in interest comes after they signed one of Just's former teammates, Stephen Welsh, who played for Motherwell last season while on loan for Celtic.

The defender penned a two-year deal at the Swansea.com Stadium last month after agreeing to terminate his Celtic contract.

The pursuit of Just also follows two major blows to Matos' preparations for the upcoming Championship season.

After star man Ethan Galbraith moved to Stoke, it was confirmed on Thursday that Swansea would be without another key player for the start of the league campaign, with Goncalo Franco facing three months on the sidelines.

The Portuguese star suffered an ankle ligament injury in an accidental collision during a behind-closed-doors game against Exeter City, which was held at the Swans' Fairwood training ground last weekend.

Having undergone surgery, the club have confirmed that Franco now faces 10-12 weeks out and will miss the start of the new league season, which kicks off on August 14.