Christie eyes up move abroad as Swans don’t “have much of a budget”

Cyrus Christie wants to explore the possibility of a move abroad for his next transfer move as his Fulham contract comes to an end.

The full back is currently with the Republic of Ireland squad for their Nations League fixtures alongside his former teammates Ryan Manning and Michael Obafemi.

All the talk over the past few months had been of Russell Martin’s desire to tie Christie down to a permanent deal at the Swansea.com Stadium but it looks like the financial expectations have been some distance away.

Christie also seemed keen for the move but now he wants to assess options away from the British isles with La Liga side Elche, Italian team Bologna and Turkish clubs Fenerbahce and Konyaspor thought to be interested.

Swansea are yet to make a signing with around eight weeks until the season starts all over again – the players are due to return in around a fortnight for pre-season training.

Asked if a foreign move appeals, Christie said: “Yes, definitely, to play abroad is something that I’ve looked at before.

“There have been times when I’ve had options to go there but Fulham didn’t let me go. So it’s definitely something that I’d like to explore.

“I’ve had a lot of contact over this summer with a few teams abroad. So we’ll see how this goes.

“I need to sit down and talk to my family and see what is best for them when those options come up and are concrete.”

“It’s quite difficult to deal with teams abroad in the way they do things. It’s a different structure.

“But it’s something that I’ve always wanted to do so we’ll see what happens over the next few weeks.”

Christie still leaves hope for a return to the Swans: “I really enjoyed my time there but I don’t think they’ve much of a budget this year. They took me in from day one, especially the fans.”