Leicester City are in advanced talks to sign Swansea City forward Liam Cullen, a player who has spent nearly two decades on the club's books and is under contract until 2028. (BBC Sport)

Cullen was born in Kilgetty, a small village in Pembrokeshire, and joined the Swansea academy at the age of eight. He made his senior debut in August 2018 — a 1-0 EFL Cup defeat by Crystal Palace under Graham Potter — and has since scored 36 goals in 194 appearances across all competitions. (BBC Sport)

His first senior goal came on the final day of the 2019-20 Championship season, a 4-1 win over Reading that secured a play-off spot under Steve Cooper. More recently, he came off the bench to score a late winner in a 1-0 victory over Portsmouth last December, a result that helped Swansea in their battle against relegation from the Championship, England's second tier. (BBC Sport)

Cullen has also broken through at international level. He scored twice for Wales in a UEFA Nations League win over Iceland, a campaign that saw Wales top League B Group 4 and earn promotion. Nations League is a competition between European national teams that offers an alternative route to major tournament qualification. (lcfc.com)

Wales manager Craig Bellamy has used Cullen in a deeper role, and that flexibility has been a theme at club level too. Cullen has often featured as a deeper-lying forward rather than as a regular starting number nine — the traditional central striker who stays high up the pitch. (BBC Sport)

Swansea have been building around him. The club began contract extension talks after he became a Wales international in 2023, and he signed a new deal running until the summer of 2028. (Swansea City) Former interim manager Alan Sheehan described Cullen as a "huge part" of Swansea's plans. (BBC Sport)

Whether those plans survive Leicester's interest is the question. Swansea, now managed by Vitor Matos, have been busy in the summer transfer window, signing wingers Elijah Just and Moussa Yeo — both capable of playing in an attacking midfield role — along with defenders Stephen Welsh and Joseph Opoku and midfielder Leo Walta. The club are also hoping to retain striker Zan Vipotnik and get more out of former Celtic forward Adam Idah, whose debut campaign in South Wales was disrupted by injury. (BBC Sport)

For Leicester, Cullen would bring versatility, work rate and a proven eye for goal in the Championship. For Swansea, losing a player who grew up in the academy and became a local hero would sting — regardless of the fee.

There is a nice symmetry to the link. In October 2023, Cullen struck the crossbar with a fierce drive in a Championship match Swansea lost 3-1 to Leicester. (BBC Sport) Now the Foxes want the player, not just the result.

No deal is done yet. But the talks are described as advanced, and Swansea's summer recruitment suggests they are preparing for life without him.