Francesco Guidolin has said he is a fan of Wilfried Bony, but admits he has no idea if he could bring the striker back to Swansea City.
Guidolin’s first match as permanent Swansea manager ended with his team closing their Premier League campaign with a 1-1 draw at home to Bony’s Manchester City on Sunday.
The Italian – who agreed a two-year contract three days before the game – is off for a short holiday at his house on the French Riviera, from where he will mull over his rebuilding plans as he pursues his favourite pastime – cycling.
Whether a vital cog in the Guidolin dream machine could be Bony, the Ivorian goalscorer they sold to City for £28m in January 2015, remains to be seen.
The Manchester club will also be under new managership this summer with the arrival of Pep Guardiola. The questions of whether Guardiola wants to keep Bony, whether a rejected Bony would be keen to return to South Wales, or even if the Swans could afford him, are all to be resolved.
But Guidolin admitted: “I don’t know him, but I know his characteristics and I like them. He is a very good striker.
“I know he worked very well here and the fans are close to him, but I don’t know if he could come back here.”
Bony played 34 matches in all competitions for City this season, but only scored eight goals. Earlier in the season, it appeared the 27-year-old might have moved from bench option to regular starter, but he has since been over-shadowed by young Nigerian Kelechi Iheanacho who kept Bony confined to the bench at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday.
Even if Bony returned on loan, then his suggested £90,000-a-week wages would provide another stumbling block.
Guidolin insists his summer activity will involve evolution, rather than revolution – a spring clean, rather than a clear-out of a squad that eventually finished 12th – 10 points clear of the relegation zone.
He added: “I have spoken to the chairman about preparing for next season, but we have a good team.
“I think we need something, but not many changes. I have my ideas, but in this moment it is difficult for me to talk about transfers.
“I hope next season will be more enjoyable, but football is complicated and it’s not possible to say before what you can do.
“Yes, now I am more experienced, but next season will be another story. But I am ready for another challenge and I think it’s important to start next season well.”
The Swans have finished up with 47 points – the same number the club managed in their first Premier League campaign and more than they got in either 2012-13 or 2013-14.