Premier League pair go up against each other in race for £12m striker

The promotion of Cardiff City last season has set up a mouthwatering encounter with Welsh rivals Swansea City next year in the Premier League, but the rivalry is already being provoked as the two clubs face off in an attempt to lure France international Bafetimbi Gomis from Lyon.

The Mirror are reporting that a fee of around £12m will be enough to start talks with the forward but the newly-promoted Bluebirds may have the upper hand, which may be a surprise to some. Swansea are currently in a stand-off with manager Michael Laudrup's agent Bayram Tutumlu and are undertaking the summer transfers themselves, so chairman Huw Jenkins may have a hard time persuading the Gomis to an unsettled ship.

The 27-year-old scored 20 goals in last year's Ligue 1 campaign and has become one of the most sought after strikers for those priced out of moves for the likes of Edinson Cavani and Robert Lewandowski.

Both sides are on the hunt for a goalscorer  or two before the season rolls around and their searches have seen them come toe-to-toe. So will one of them have early bragging rights before the season evens starts? Or will they be so busy trying to out-bid each other that a third party will come and snatch him from under their noses?

The summer transfer window, eh.