Following weeks of speculation, Ethan Galbraith's switch to the EFL Championship has been confirmed.
Sheffield United were reportedly interested in signing the Northern Ireland midfielder, however Swansea City have swooped to secure the 24-year-old's signature.
Galbraith joins from League One side Leyton Orient on a three-year deal. The fee was not disclosed, however it is believed to be in the region of £1.5 million.
The former Manchester United trainee, who had 12 months of his contract remaining at Orient, had a superb campaign for the London outfit last season, scoring six goals and chalking up eight assists in 51 games as they narrowly missed out on promotion to the Championship following a play-off defeat to Charlton Athletic.
The 24-year-old, who has won seven senior international caps, had also been attracting the attention of Charlton and Huddersfield Town as well as Sheffield United.
“We are delighted to have secured Ethan’s services and added him to the squad early into our pre-season preparations,” head coach Alan Sheehan told the Swansea City website.
“He has terrific technical ability which I am sure Swansea fans will appreciate and enjoy when they get to see him in action.
“Ethan is hungry and motivated for the challenge of stepping up to the Championship,” added Sheehan. "He is excited to be joining Swansea City and we are looking forward to integrating him into the squad over the coming weeks.”
And Galbraith told the Welsh club's website: "I like to get on the ball, I like to create and make things happen. But, on the other side, I like getting stuck in and tackling. So I love a bit of everything in the game."
Other Northern Ireland players on the move to date this summer include Lee Bonis.
League Two Chesterfield have signed the former Portadown and Larne striker from ADO Den Haag for an undisclosed fee.
The 25-year-old, who made his full international debut against Belarus back in October, scored 12 goals in 36 games for the Dutch second tier side last season as they just missed out on promotion to the Eredivisie following a two-legged play-off defeat to Telstar.
In an interview with the Chesterfield website, Bonis said: “ A new start back in England will be good for me. I know League Two is a tough league, but hopefully I can kick on and continue to score goals at club level and that will lead to more international games.”
After four years with Millwall, experienced midfielder George Saville has penned a deal with League One Luton Town who have suffered successive relegations over the past two seasons.
“It’s been a tough couple of years for the club but this is now a chance to correct that,” he told the Hatters website.
“Speaking with the manager, and what he wants to do, there's a chance to build something, create a good atmosphere and have a good season. I had offers in the Championship but since the first conversation with the manager it was clear-cut. It fits what I want and it's an opportunity to achieve something."
Bolton Wanderers goalkeeper Luke Southwood has been snapped up on a two-year deal by League One side Bristol Rovers.
“I've played against the club loads of times over the last few years, and the fanbase is brilliant,” the 27-year-old told the club website.
“You can feel the passion, and I just feel like it's a club that's matching my ambition, and I want to get on board with it.”
Midfielder Caolan Boyd-Munce will also be plying his trade in League One next term after leaving Scottish Premiership side St Mirren to link up with Wycombe Wanderers.
The former Glentoran youngster previously played under Chairboys head coach Mike Dodds at Birmingham City.
Dodds said: “Caolan was a fantastic young talent at Birmingham and I’m really excited to work with him again and develop his game further now that he’s picked up great experience in senior football in the last few years.
“He’s a really energetic player and suits the way we want to play and we’re looking forward to bringing him into the squad for the new season.”
Elsewhere, Conor Haughey and Jack Doherty have signed their first professional contracts with Fleetwood Town, while Bayley McCann, son of former international midfielder Grant, has put pen to paper on a new deal at Barnsley.
There are also a number of players from the Irish FA JD Academy taking up scholarships with clubs in England. Glentoran’s Joel Kerr and Linfield’s Callum Leacock have signed for West Ham United and Coleraine’s highly rated midfielder Matthew Burns is also on his way to the Premier League with newly promoted Sunderland.
In the Championship, Southampton have snapped up Ballymena United striker Luke Hawe and Linfield’s Calum Anderson, while Glenn McCourt is making the switch from Derry City to Norwich City with Crusaders left back Coist Walker leaving the north Belfast side for Hull City.
Finally, Glenavon’s Christopher Atherton, who became the youngest ever senior footballer in the UK when he played for the Lurgan Blues back in 2022 aged just 13 years and 329 days, has joined Premier League giants Chelsea.
