Not 'impossible' that Everton target Gylfi Sigurdsson will stay at Swansea says Paul Clement

Swansea City manager Paul Clement does not believe it is beyond the realm of possibility that Gylfi Sigurdsson could stay at the club this summer amid strong interest from Everton and has reiterated his desire to see the long-running saga reach a conclusion.

Sigurdsson has been pursued by both the Toffees and Leicester City since the end of a 2016-17 campaign in which he played an instrumental role in helping Swansea avoid relegation to the Championship by scoring nine goals and providing 13 assists.

The Icelandic playmaker opted not to travel with his teammates to the United States for a pre-season tour last week, with Swansea, who had reportedly rebuffed a £40m ($51.8m) bid from Everton, releasing a statement to confirm that he "did not feel in the right frame of mind to travel due to the current uncertainty over his future".

Owners Jason Levien and Steve Kaplan subsequently outlined their disappointment with Sigurdsson's decision and insisted they would not be bullied or forced into selling their most prized asset until a club meets their valuation. It has previously been reported that the Swans are holding out for £50m.

Levien and Kaplan also expressed optimism that the former Reading, Hoffenheim and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder, who only signed a new four-year contract in August 2016, might reconsider his decision not to fly to the US. While that always seemed unlikely, Clement does not appear to have completely given up hope that he might still be a Swansea player when the transfer window closes on 31 August.

"I don't see it as impossible [Sigurdsson will stay]," he told BBC Wales. "And I think from all sides we want to see a resolution to this situation."

He added: "I spoke to Gylfi two days ago. I have a really good relationship with Gylfi and the chairman and the owners know very much my feeling on the situation and we're talking daily about how things are moving. The best thing will be a resolution to the situation in the near future."

Clement also confirmed that Swansea were tracking Las Palmas attacker Jonathan Viera. Marca reported earlier this week that Everton were ready to activate the £26.5m release clause for a player apparently seen as a potential alternative to Sigurdsson.

"He is a player that we're aware of," he said. "He's a talent, but there are other players that we're looking at as well."